firstamendment

Missing Records from Request Q: I requested information from The County Economic Council. They didn’t want to share information that would be of “us” to me, so they left out many pages that were the most important ones for me to see.  They claimed that they showed me the final document, when in fact, at least 80- pages that were not proprietary were excluded.  I have documentation.  Can I sue under the Calif. Public Records

Police Reports Q: Using information provided at a journalism conference by a CFAC attorney, I asked a local police agency for a basic incident report on a fatal hazing incident, citing 6254F, F1 and F2. The officer said he was not required to give the report, citing (of all things) 6254 F. I asked if he could just provide the information from the report, if not the report itself. He said that information is no

University of California Press Q: I am a journalist working on a book about a cult that was active in southern California in the 90s.  As part of my research, I am trying to obtain records from the University of California Press about a book they published.  My hope is to obtain the minutes of the editorial committee meeting relating to the book’s publication in 1968, as well as any documents they might have related

Obtaining Procedures Manual Q: I am trying to get a copy of the Officer Safety Manual from the California Highway Patrol.  I do work investigating accidents.  The particular accident I am investigating is a Traffic accident.  The officers on scene state that they followed procedures set forth in the Officer Safety Manual.  I called the CHP to obtain a copy and was told that this manual is not available to the public as it covers

Accessing Polling Done with Public Funds Q: A school district uses public funds to conduct a poll regarding public support for a tax measure. The authorities I’ve reviewed find that an “objective” poll is an authorized expenditure of public funds.  It seems clear to me that the entire poll (questions, cross tabs, etc.) are therefore a public record subject to full disclosure under the PRA.  But I’ve not seen any cases or advice letters directly