Asked & Answered

Q: In 2010 our City Council was contacted BY the IRS about a series of Build America Bonds that the City had received. The IRS felt that the money was spent improperly (by spending on acquiring an undeveloped parcel related to an unrelated legal settlement rather than by initiating a ”shovel ready” project). The IRS threatened to take the money back which would likely have bankrupted the City. This was made public two years later

Q: At the CA Legislature, I introduced myself as a member of of two realtor associations before speaking out in opposition to a bill under discussion. The associations are in favor of the measure, which is in direct violation of our mission statement to protect private property rights. The CEO of one group sent me a threatening letter saying that I was not authorized to speak for either organization; that I may not make those

Q: Is it a violation of the Public Records Act for public officials to compile potentially incriminating electronic documents on their own, in response to PRA requests, with no actual oversight? I just learned that when a Public Records Act request is submitted to the City Manager of my hometown, for potentially incriminating electronic documents of a City Council member, the City Manager requests that the City Council member compile the requested documents on their

Q: I understand the local police can subpoena your email and IP address without a judge. Is there anyway to know if the police are doing this to a person? Can a person find this out? A: Because public records laws tend to exempt records related to law enforcement investigations, it could be difficult to determine whether a law enforcement entity has sought or obtained records from your communications providers, especially if the agency has a