FAC

Q: I would like to gain access to Contractor State License Board documents relating to a recently concluded investigation against me. I have read up on my access rights, but am hoping to be as fully informed as possible before pursuing that route. I am a builder in San Francisco, and the Contractors State License Board closed an almost year long investigation against me finding they “do not have the evidence necessary to proceed with

Q: I’m curious about the protection of my free speech rights as an untenured, racially underrepresented professor at a public university. I posted a comment about my encounter with a coworker, related to my views about racial micro aggression and the recent national unrest about law enforcement. I didn’t directly identify my coworker and privacy settings are restricted to be viewed by my friends only (although some friends shared the post). I also clearly stated

Q: I sent a public records request to the CA DMV and they were required to respond with 10 days. It’s been a month and have not yet had a response. Is there a public records ombudsman I can notify? A: Unfortunately, unlike some states, California does not have an ombudsman to help facilitate public records requests where an agency is not fulfilling its statutory duties under the Public Records Act.  In situations such as yours, I usually

Q: Our Unified School District is always walking a very fine line when it comes to the Brown Act. At the last Board of Trustees meeting, the superintendent stated, and three trustees confirmed, that the district has come up with a plan to tackle the multimillion-dollar shortfall it’s expecting for the next school year. The superintendent said the board discussed this in closed session “under the guise of labor negotiations.” The problem is, they haven’t entered

Q: My company and I are being sued for defamation at state court in Miami, Florida. In discovery, the plaintiff has requested all emails between me and others that mention his name. As a reporter, am I protected by law from having to turn over such information? A: Florida does have a statutory newsgathering privilege for “professional journalists” (a reporter’s shield law) that protects journalists from being compelled to be witnesses or disclosing information obtained