FAC

Q: I am trying to get information on a marriage that that occurred in October of last year. The marriage is a confidential marriage and I cannot obtain a copy because I am not one of the two married parties. My question is: Is the marriage certificate application public? A: Section 511(a) of California’s Family Code provides that: the county clerk shall maintain confidential marriage certificates filed pursuant to Section 506 as permanent records which shall

Q: I am trying to investigate reports that a city councilman in one of the cities I cover has driven the city car recklessly or under the influence of alcohol. Sources tell me that the city manager notified city council members via email of a complaint filed by a citizen that this council member cut him off in traffic, made a vulgar hand gesture and used obscene language while driving the city vehicle. I made

Q: A large part of my community is being harassed by a local agency known as a Resort Improvement District #1. By law they are supposed to maintain the power lines, water and sewers. They do a lot more than that though. They want to be the police here and field and investigate complaints. They have humiliated me and others at board meetings as they discuss who their victims will be. They have called the

Q: I am working on a story about how two of our reporters were ejected from a college council meeting. The chair of the committee believes that their body is not subject to the Brown Act. This committee makes planning, budget and policy recommendations to the college president. A: The official student body associations of community colleges are subject to the Brown Act (see 75 Ops. Cal. Atty. Gen. 143 (1992), an opinion of the