Legal Question in Legal Ethics in California

Having worked for a local city for some ten years and a quasi state agency for another 4, my primary advice is to watch your own butt. No one wil appreicate your blowing the whistle. Instead of it being corruption, the contract might have been awarded because it is listed as a minority firm, political connections, you have not been told all the facts, etc. You might very informally tell your immediate supervisor if you trust them [do not if they are a company person] that you are wondering if the new contract called for new machines [do not act as though you know anything about it] because you think they accidentially delievered a used machine. it probably is safer to call the state hot line to report it.