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Facebook to feds: Don’t make us disclose sources of political ads

FAC May 12, 2011

The social networking site Facebook is arguing that when it comes to disclosing the backers of political advertising, size matters. Federal regulations require political advertising to say who’s behind it and who the money came from. But there are exceptions. Some ads, such as bumper stickers, can be too small for disclosure statements. In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, Facebook makes a similar case for its “standard ads,” which allow 25 characters for

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FAC leads amicus signed by 90+ publications in Brown Act case begun by the late Rich McKee

FAC May 6, 2011

A FAC led amicus brief joined by more than 90 newspapers and other publications was filed Thursday in an appeal of a Brown Act law suit involving  the Tulare County Board of Supervisors.  The suit challenges the supervisors’ practice of holding lunchtime meetings–regularly and often–that were nonpublic and held without notification to the public or media. The plaintiffs–the late Rich McKee, CNPA and the Visalia Times-Delta–argued that the lunches, which were charged to the county

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A&A: Can’t flush out City’s drainage report

FAC May 4, 2011

Q: We are in a dispute with a developer regarding a drainage diversion across our property. Many months ago we asked the City for help and they  hired an outside engineer and geologist to conduct an investigation. After about three months, the engineer has been paid for several tasks relating to this, but the City has provided no information to us saying they are continuing to “review” the findings.  We have not yet filed or

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A&A: Charged a fee for viewing documents? Is that legal?

FAC May 4, 2011

My non-profit organization is being charged a fee to view parole hearing transcripts–not copy, simply view. We also have been told we will be charged to view the Parole Board’s response to a public hearing. We would like an opinion on the legality of this policy A: Under the Public Records Act, “[p]ublic records are open to inspection at all times during the office hours of the state or local agency and every person has

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Guantanamo documents: Lawyers told to avert their eyes

FAC April 28, 2011

When are documents so public that they can be read about in the world’s newspapers, seen on national television and found readily on the Internet considered so sensitive that the Justice Department forbids certain lawyers to see them? Answer: When lawyers for Guantanamo Bay prisoners want access to documents released by WikiLeaks that reveal the military’s assessments of cases against inmates. Are some of the prisoners terrorists and others hapless souls snared along with solid

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