First Amendment News

When a Calistogan city council member tried to secretly text his 10-year-old daughter good night, a fellow council member accused him of violating state open meeting laws. –DB Weekly Calistogan March 9, 2009 By Jesse Duarte Political fireworks erupted in a confrontation between two members of the Calistoga City Council at the close of Tuesday night’s council meeting. The tension began earlier in the meeting when Council Member Gary Kraus had interrupted the proceedings to

After voting to increase class sizes and cut teachers, three members of a Vista, California school board met with teachers union leaders at a private residence sparking complaints of open government violations. -DB North County Times March 6, 2009 by Stacy Brandt VISTA —- A complaint filed Friday accuses three Vista Unified School District trustees of violating state open meetings laws, then voting to reverse an earlier board decision to increase class sizes. The accusation

After a 2007 vote by members to reject a resolution to limit access to records of criminal cases with no convictions, the American Bar Association may now abandon efforts to keep the records sealed. -DB The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press By Hannah Bergman March 4, 2009 WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a discussion Tuesday on Capitol Hill of crime policies, including how to improve the odds of successful reentry for felons leaving prison,

Santa Barbara County supervisors admitted violating the Brown Act in voting in a closed session last fall. Nonetheless, they approved a controversial development opposed by local environmentalists. -DB Santa Barbara Independent March 3, 2009 By Ethan Stewart The Naples debate returned with vengeance at the Santa Barbara County Supervisors this week. Confusion and legal bickering reigned supreme as the Supes voted 3-to-1 to reverse a closed session decision made by the Board last fall en

Prison Legal News From a Press Release March 3, 2009 The Prison Legal News has challenged the LA County Sheriff’s Department attempt to withhold information about awards in cases brought by prisoners against jail staff. Until recently, information about settlements and verdicts had been available online. -DB LOS ANGELES – Prison Legal News (PLN), a non-profit monthly publication that reports on corrections and criminal justice-related issues, filed suit today in Superior Court against Los Angeles