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donal brown

California: Napa District attorney says St. Helena council violated open meeting law

donal brown July 7, 2011

The Napa County District Attorney is holding the St. Helena City Council accountable for observing the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. He said it was no excuse that the council violated numerous sections of the law after receiving incorrect legal advice. According to the D.A. in discussing the performance of the city manager, the council failed to list the topic clearly in an agenda and held at least one inappropriate closed session. -db From

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Pakistan spy agency implicated in May murder of journalist

donal brown July 6, 2011

The Obama administration has evidence that senior officials in Pakistan’s Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence ordered an attack on a journalist, Saleem Shahzad, who had written critical stories about the infiltration of militants in the military. Shahzad was the 37th journalist killed in Pakistan since 9-11. -db From The New York Times, July 4, 2011, by Jane Perlex and Eric Schmitt with reporting from Mark Mazetti. Full story

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California tribal council shuts down its newspaper

donal brown July 6, 2011

Citing loss of revenue and problems over controversial articles, the chair of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council stopped publication of the Two Rivers Tribune, the last native-owned newspaper in California. The chair objected to recent articles on marijuana and a controversial interview with a man wanted for his alleged  involvement in a murder of a Willow Creek resident. -db From The (Eureka) Times-Standard, July 2, 2011, by Donna Tam and Kaci Poor. Full story

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California appeals court finds county pensions are public

donal brown July 5, 2011

A California appeals court ruled that the pension records of retired county employees are public upholding a lower court ruling that supported government accountability. The appeals court said the lower court was correct in finding that the  public’s interest in the records outweighed the privacy of retirees. The association representing the retirees argued that disclosure would harm retirees, but the court said the association presented no creditable evidence of harm. -db From The Reporters Committee

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Free speech: Supreme Court upholds conflict of interest rules for legislators

donal brown July 5, 2011

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that ethics laws on conflict of interest did not violate the First Amendment rights of legislators. Writing for the court, Justice Antonin Scalia that lawmakers have a right to free speech under the Constitution but not to vote on matters in which they have a  conflict of interest. Scalia said the right to vote in a legislative body is not personal to the legislator but belongs to the public

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