Coalition News

The California Supreme Court has issued a series of rulings rejecting the governor’s efforts to seal key clemency records, ensuring transparency in a critical aspect of the criminal justice process.  The rulings — six unanimous opinions issued Sept. 11 — reject Gov. Gavin Newsom’s efforts to keep secret the files the Governor submits in support of his requests for the Supreme Court’s consent to grant clemency to twice-convicted felons. As a result, Governor Newsom is

The Central Valley Foundation has awarded the First Amendment Coalition a $30,000 grant in support of its growing work — and has pledged an additional $10,000 in matching support. The grant, “in recognition of the First Amendment Coalition’s important work in safeguarding our First Amendment rights,” will support FAC’s efforts defending free speech, the free press, and public participation in civic affairs. The $10,000 challenge grant ensures that the Central Valley Foundation will match any gift dollar-for-dollar

The First Amendment Coalition today continued its fight for transparency in the police raid on a San Francisco journalist, filing a lawsuit over city officials’ refusal to release public records.  FAC sued the San Francisco Police Department and Mayor London Breed under the California Public Records Act and San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance, an effort to vindicate the public’s right to understand the political and law-enforcement decisions that led to the now infamous May 10 search

The following is a statement by First Amendment Coalition Executive Director David Snyder: The search warrant application unsealed today shows, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the San Francisco Police Department knew Bryan Carmody is a journalist before they sought a search warrant for his office — and that they provided ample evidence of that fact to the San Francisco judge that authorized the unlawful search of his office. California law could not be more clear