FAC

A&A: Does Brown Act Allow Adding Agenda Items Less Than 72-Hours Before A Meeting?

Q: A California City Council originally released an agenda for its regular meeting without a closed session. Each agenda usually has a closed session heading listed at the end of the meeting — but the council doesn’t meet in closed session; it’s like a placeholder. On its action calendar, the council was scheduled to discuss and appoint a new interim city attorney. Three hours before the 7 p.m. meeting, the city clerk sent out an

Read More »

A&A: Are Citizen Bond Oversight Committee Applications Public Records?

Q: I submitted a CPRA for completed/submitted applications of Citizen Bond Oversight Committee members, however, the school district denied “the request stating my request for the completed applications are protected from disclosure pursuant to Government Code section 6254(c), disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” I reviewed the government code and think it does not apply to the CBOC members since they are volunteers and not personnel. Would you be able

Read More »

A&A: Are a Water Utility’s Shut-Off Statistics Public Records in California?

Q: Under CPRA, is it possible to request a list of addresses for residences from the city that have had their water shut off in the past 30 days if I ask for them to redact all other information including name and phone number? A: The California Public Records Act (CPRA) requires public agencies to disclose public records unless some exemption applies.  Public records include “any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the

Read More »

FAC, SPJ NorCal Announce Efforts to Protect Press Freedom One Year After Raid on Journalist 

One year ago this week, San Francisco police conducted a raid on journalist Bryan Carmody, a widely condemned attack on press freedom and a plain violation of California’s shield law protections. State and federal law protects journalists from having to disclose their sources or any unpublished information collected during newsgathering to the government — and prohibits judges from issuing warrants for the search and seizure of such information.  In the interceding 12 months, many questions

Read More »

Leading Constitutional Law Scholar Erwin Chemerinsky Joins FAC Board

The First Amendment Coalition today announced the election of Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law, to its board of directors. Chemerinsky, regarded as one of the leading constitutional law scholars in the United States, has argued numerous cases, including First Amendment challenges, at the U.S. Supreme Court. He is the author of 11 books, including “We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century,” “Closing the Courthouse

Read More »