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Coalition News

FAC sues San Diego PD for records on controversial cell phone surveillance technology

Peter Scheer December 16, 2014

The First Amendment Coalition today filed suit against the San Diego Police Department to obtain information about the SDPD’s purchase and use of surveillance equipment that can identify and track all cell phones in a specific location, such as a building, neighborhood or street intersection. “We believe the SDPD has an obligation to tell San Diego citizens that it is using this invasive technology and to describe the steps it is taking, if any, to

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FAC leads amicus filing in case seeking access to records in hands of private firms that contract with government

Peter Scheer December 15, 2014

An open-government coalition led by FAC has filed an amicus brief in a California freedom-of-information case involving access to data of government contractors that the contractors are required, under their agreements wth local government, to create and maintain. In Flynn v. Los Angeles a PRA requester seeks information in databases about the towing and storing of cars parked illegally on LA streets. The towing and storing is handled by private firms under contracts with the

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Announcing FAC’s 2014 Free Speech & Open Government Award Winners

FAC December 1, 2014

The First Amendment Coalition is proud to announce the winners of the 2014 FAC Free Speech & Open Government Award. This year FAC received 30 nominations covering the efforts of journalists, individuals, government officials, educators, attorneys, community groups, non-profit journalism organizations and newspapers. The two 2014 winners of this year’s awards use different methods to accomplish their goals –one upholding the finest traditions of investigative journalism and the other demonstrating the effectiveness of advocacy using

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Water district, in settlement with FAC, agrees to disclose water usage by corporations

Peter Scheer October 30, 2014

A Southern California water district, as part of a settlement of a lawsuit brought by the First Amendment Coalition, has agreed to tell the public how much water each of its corporate customers is pumping from underground aquifers. The Desert Water Agency in Palm Springs had published this information in past years, but changed policy in 2013, ostensibly to protect the “privacy interests” of its corporate customers. The water district relied on section 6254.16 of

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Brown signs SB 1300, but calls on Legislature to fix public access issues

Peter Scheer October 17, 2014

Governor Brown has signed SB 1300, the refinery regulation bill that FAC and others opposed because of last-minute amendments that would weaken rights of access under the Public Records Act. However, the Governor, in a signing message, made clear he wants the Legislature to pass a new bill to fix those amendments. The Governor said that Senator Lonie Hancock, the author of SB 1300, “has committed to introduce clean up legislation next year and work

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