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2007 Open Government Legislation By Nick Rahaim The 2007 Legislative session looks promising for open government advocates. Some bills seek to resurrect legislation that was defeated or vetoed in the last Legislative session. Other bills seek to overturn recent judicial rulings that are hostile to access rights. New bills would also streamline the California Public Records Act and to shed light on two of California’s more secretive government institutions: The UC Regents and police departments.

Celebrate Sunshine Week in California–Hold Public Officials Accountable for Access to Information By Karl Olson Californians declared by an overwhelming vote two years ago that they have a constitutional right of access to “information concerning the conduct of the people’s business,” including both the meetings and the records of the officials who spend public money. But sometimes those same public officials have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into recognizing that constitutional right. Consider these

A clean, well-lighted public right By Paul Gullixson In the book “Team of Rivals,” author Doris Kearns Goodwin details a private meeting in early 1865 between President Lincoln and a commission sent by Confederate President Jefferson Davis to discuss terms for peace. When Lincoln’s critics in Congress – particularly the “radicals” who wanted the Confederate states to not only be defeated but to be reorganized and renamed – got wind of the meeting, they were

The Libby trial highlights the hypocrisy of players in Washington’s favorite pastime: the political scandal By Peter Scheer The conviction of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury, and lying to the FBI (yes, lying to the FBI, even when not under oath, is a felony) ratchets up the risks of working in a high level job in the executive branch. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing depends almost

The BALCO reporters had a slimy source, we now know. Did the reporters also get slimed? By Peter Scheer Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada can’t get a break. For nearly a year the San Francisco Chronicle reporters lived under the constant and very real threat of imprisonment–like a sword of Damocles over their heads–for their refusal to name their source for grand jury testimony in the BALCO steroids-in-sports investigation. Finally the sword lifted, as the