Open Meetings

Electronic Frontier Foundation provides support for bloggers seeking access to government

Stating that “people who do journalism are journalists,” the Electronic Frontier Foundation is fighting efforts of government bodies to deny local bloggers, sometimes called “hyperlocals,” the rights and status of other journalists. The EFF’s “Legal Guide for Bloggers” provides information about the right of access to public meetings and records.  -db From a commentary in Street Fight Magazine,  May 29, 2012, by Brian Dengler. Full story  

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California: Orange County D.A. drops open meeting charges against school district

After a preliminary finding in May that the Capistrano Unified School District violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, the Orange County District Attorney’s office announced this week that they could not corroborate the finding. But the office found a lot to fault, using colorful language to criticize the way the district conducted meetings. -db From The Orange County Register, September 20, 2011, by Scott Martindale. Full story

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North Carolina college bans student from graduation for negative Facebook post

Saint Augustine’s college has banned a student from graduation ceremonies after the student posted comments on Facebook critical about how the college was handling its recovery from a tornado. FIRE claims that in the absence of a policy sanctioning the punishment, the college improvised by declaring that a Facebook post challenging their decisions could keep a student from graduation ceremonies. The college said students had an obligation to protect the reputation of the college. -db

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The secret’s out: transit system needs to come clean

The Bay Area Rapid Transit District, in response to charges of “secrecy and bureaucracy run amok,” has promised to reverse a years-long practice of holding closed meetings about the public’s business. After a blistering editorial by the Contra Costa Times, the district’s board of directors acknowledged that as many as 20 committees have met privately about issues directly affecting riders and taxpayers. In one case, the Times reported, a committee met in secret to discuss

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For these seven, open government is a way of life

In recognition of Sunshine Week, the Sacramento Bee’s Marjie Lundstrom has identified seven Californians who doggedly fight for open government. Heroes or kooks, she says, they share a common quality: They don’t take no for an answer in their persistent efforts to pry open government for all to see. Their drive for accountability has prompted new law and landed some of them in legal trouble. Never deterred, they keep pressing, in several cases fighting for

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