FAC Opposes Legislation that Would Weaken Police Transparency 

Proposal would give a major police oversight agency a carve-out from California Public Records Act obligations

FAC opposes legislation that would reduce police transparency in California by giving the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) commission, a special carve-out from Public Records Act obligations. This comes just as POST takes on the crucial new role of determining when officers should be stripped of their badges due to misconduct. Officials in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration have said it wants to excuse itself from transparency requirements due budgetary concerns. 

FAC joined a broad coalition of civil liberties, racial justice, press and transparency organizations condemning the proposal — and the administration’s choice to use a secretive budget process to try to gut important police transparency protections. 

“Openness, transparency and accountability are the first duty of democratic government,” Legal Director of First Amendment Coalition David Loy said. “That is the first job of the government, not the last, and the public has a compelling right to know, the public has a constitutional right in California to access public information.”

“CA law strips bad cops of their badges, now the commission doesn’t want to share personnel files,” CBS8, 5/25/2023

News coverage:

• Mercury News: Editorial: Newsom’s sleazy move to roll back police accountability (6/15/2023)
• CBS8 San Diego: Groups that helped create law that strips bad cop of their badges call on Newsom to restore transparency (6/14/2023)
• Sacramento Bee: Concerns mount on Newsom administration’s use of budget process to fast track proposed laws (6/14/2023)
• San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Pretty staggering’: Thousands of California police officers could be stripped of their badges under new law (6/14/2023)
• CBS8 San Diego: CA law strips bad cops of their badges, now the commission doesn’t want to share personnel files (5/25/2023)

Coalition letter to legislate leader urging them to reject the budget trailer bill: