On Wednesday, The Bee's Jim Sanders and Steve Wiegand broke news that the state's proposed water bond package included $10 million for a nonprofit tolerance center in Sacramento – a favored project of Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg.

The story was posted online just after midnight and circulated quickly, through various channels, at the all-night legislative session. Within hours, as Bee readers were picking up their papers, Steinberg had withdrawn the special funding from the bond package.

The Steinberg story was just one in a string of recent watchdog reports from The Bee, journalism that has drawn appreciative calls and notes from readers.

A few others:

• Last week, The Bee's Andrew McIntosh and Dale Kasler broke several significant stories about favors given to higher-ups at California's public pension plan by a company that has earned $60 million in commissions from CalPERS investments with their clients.

• Sacramento city reporter Ryan Lillis revealed Oct. 17 that a planning department employee had altered permits to allow housing construction in the Natomas flood plain, in violation of a federal building ban there. The employee turned out to be Dan Waters, son of City Council member Robbie Waters. The city is investigating.

• McIntosh reported Oct. 26 on $5.5 million in recently purchased state cars and trucks sitting unused; a Department of General Services manager resigned and officials promised more scrutiny.

• Reporter Robert Lewis gave Bee readers the first public accounting of the ballooning cost of a statewide courts computer system – as much as $2 billion – in a story Oct. 25 that also revealed that no one was really keeping track of these costs.

• On Oct. 11 and 12, Sanders detailed the extra benefits and pay perks enjoyed by legislative staff members even amid furloughs and pay cuts for other state employees.

Investigative reporting is one of The Bee's traditions and one of our top priorities now, for many reasons.

There's more to watch than ever in government, business and among other powerful institutions that ought to be – but aren't always – accountable to the rest of us.

The federal government is expanding, special interests are vying for influence, and financial dealing is so complicated that it defies everyday scrutiny.

Independent, public-minded reporting keeps citizens in the room and in the loop about decisions that affect us all – as taxpayers, as people served by government, and as consumers and community members.

That's why The Bee's investigative efforts have expanded to many newsroom beats, a weekly "Public Eye" watchdog column and a growing online presence.

Digital tools allow us to share data and other "raw information" with readers who can do their own research and analysis. At www.sacbee.com/datacenter, you'll find dozens of databases and links.

On our investigations page, www.sacbee.com/investigations, we invite story tips and suggestions and link to other watchdog reporting that matters to readers here.

We've done this even as The Bee has reduced staff to cope with the recession and changes in the news business.

The Bee's watchdog work is part of a broader community mission, and that context is important. If we do our jobs, people here know what's happening and can take action should they choose.

We're also accountable to our neighbors and readers. We'll take the recent praise as encouragement for The Bee, and its readers, to stay vigilant for us all.

Reach The Bee's editor, Melanie Sill, at (916) 321-1002.