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A&A: Does Brown Act allow vote to be changed after a meeting adjourns?

FAC July 10, 2017

Q:  I  recently witnessed a Planning Commission vote which was changed after adjournment. There is a “protocol” listed on the city’s website that says a vote can be changed within 48 hours. That sounds like a violation of the Brown Act to me. A: Given that, per the Brown Act, legislative bodies are generally required to conduct their business in open meetings, and cannot meet or otherwise confer with each other outside the confines of a properly

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A&A: Requests for crime reports denied by police department

FAC July 10, 2017

Q:  I am a reporter, and I’ve been having trouble obtaining crime reports from our local police department. I’ve requested crime reports twice and both times I’m told that they are being withheld because of Government Code section 6254(f). To be clear, one time I requested all crime reports that had been filed over a month period. The second time, I requested the reports for three specific crimes. Both times, the office cited section 6254(f).

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Martin Reynolds and Nate Cardozo Join FAC’s Board of Directors

FAC July 5, 2017

The First Amendment Coalition is delighted to announce the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Martin Reynolds, director of Reveal Investigative Fellowships at the Center for Investigative Reporting and Co-Executive Director of The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education; and Nate Cardozo, Senior Staff Attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Reynolds, a seasoned journalist, co-founded Oakland Voices, a community storytelling project that trains residents to serve as community correspondents. Prior

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FAC Conducts Training for Lawyers to Defend Subpoenaed Journalists

FAC June 8, 2017

On June 14, the First Amendment Coalition will conduct an in-depth training for lawyers interested in defending journalists who are subpoenaed in civil or criminal cases.  The training is part of FAC’s Subpoena Defense Initiative, which aims to meet the growing need for pro bono or reduced-rate counsel trained in the intricacies of subpoena defense to defend journalists — particularly those from the rapidly growing ranks of small, independent and nonprofit media outlets, which often

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FAC To LAPD: Police Bodycam Footage is a Public Record and Must Be Released

FAC June 8, 2017

The First Amendment Coalition recently urged the Los Angeles Police Department to promptly and publicly release footage from “bodycams” — tiny, body-worn cameras now used by thousands of police officers in the nation’s third largest police department. FAC submitted written comments to the Los Angeles Police Commission in response to that agency’s request for public input about ways in which LAPD’s bodycam policies can be improved.  The department refuses to release bodycam footage unless ordered to

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