firstamendment

Public official salaries and the CPRA

Public official salaries and the CPRA Q: I’d like to find information on executive salaries for public utility organizations (SMUD, LADWP, WAPA and NCPA).  Can you advise me if these are publicly available records and if so, what’s the best way to obtain them might be? A: The California Public Records Act exempts certain information from disclosure on the basis of personal privacy. (Govt. Code s. 6254(c)). Some public agencies have relied on this exemption

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Non-response to CPRA requests

Non-response to CPRA requests Q: I sent a public records act request to the City Clerk of my City and I have not received a call or response to my request.  I am sending a second letter and attaching the first letter, but what can I do next if the city does not respond? A: As you probably know, under Government Code section 6253(c), public agencies are supposed to respond to requests for public records

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Duplication fees for non-paper records

Duplication fees for non-paper records Q: Our School District Board/Superintendent is charging for labor costs of making a CD copy of each monthly/special board meeting. I understand that the Cal. Gov\’t. Code Section 6253(b) indicates that such charges (i.e., labor costs for recording the CD copy) is not permitted. I have been round and round with the Board/Superintendent about these excessive charges for the past year. They say that the District Counsel has supported them

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Obtaining records without fees?

Obtaining records without fees? Q: How do I obtain a public record if I can not afford the price due to economic problems? Can the S.F.P.D refuse to give me the records in electronic from? A: The Public Records Act (PRA) does not include a specific provision for waiving or reducing fees for copies requested under the Act.  California courts have decided, however, that agencies do have the discretion to waive or reduce fees.  See

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Records with the names of citizens and non-citizens

Records with the names of citizens and non-citizens Q: I want to ask for some guidelines about the law (I am not sure if it is a law or not) that protects the names of illegal immigrants that are convicted in the U.S. of violent crimes. I want to have guidelines about which one is the story here, I want to know why this is different between illegal immigrants and American Citizens? I know that

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