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A&A: Limitation On Public Comments At City Council Meeting

FAC March 3, 2020

Q: If a city council establishes a protocol whereby the mayor may unilaterally decide to limit public comments on a topic to no more than 45 minutes, thereby preventing people present who wish to make public comments from speaking, is that compliant with the Brown Act? A: The Brown Act allows for the adoption of “reasonable regulations” for public comment periods, “including, but not limited to, regulations limiting the total amount of time allocated for

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FAC Launches In-Depth FOI Training Sessions for Journalists

FAC February 18, 2020

The First Amendment Coalition is proud to announce the launch of a series of Freedom of Information Boot Camps for journalists interested in using the California Public Record Act and other laws to shed light on government agencies across the state. Led by FAC attorneys, these sessions will provide journalists with the tools to improve their reporting, whether daily or in-depth investigative work, by using freedom-of-information laws more effectively. These sessions will feature real-world scenarios

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FAC Urges Appeal Court to Reject Ventura Sheriff Union’s Effort to Weaken Police Transparency Law

FAC February 7, 2020

Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association v. County of Ventura et al. Update March 3, 2021: The appeal court ruled in favor of transparency, finding that California’s SB1421 “Right to Know Act” applies to records created before the law took effect Jan. 1, 2019. Read the opinion. Read the amicus brief filed by the First Amendment Coalition Court: California’s Second District Court of Appeal  About the case: On January 1, 2019, California’s landmark law known as

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FAC Receives James Madison Freedom of Information Award from SPJ NorCal

FAC February 6, 2020

The First Amendment Coalition was named a 2020 recipient of the James Madison Freedom of Information Award given by the Society of Professional Journalists’ NorCal Chapter in recognition of organizations and individuals who have advanced principles of free speech and open government. In recognizing FAC as the nonprofit awardee, SPJ NorCal highlighted FAC’s strategic litigation in Northern California and beyond that led to greater access to government records. From SPJ NorCal’s announcement: When San Francisco

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FAC Wins Important Ruling for Police Transparency in California

FAC January 30, 2020

The First Amendment Coalition won an important legal victory in its year-long effort to enforce California’s landmark police transparency law, with an appeals court saying the public has a right to see police misconduct records the state attorney general has on local officers across the state.  The Wednesday ruling means the state’s top law enforcement official, whose agency conducts outside reviews of local police shootings and complaints of officer misconduct, has the same disclosure obligations

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