News & Opinion

Active citizens won a reprieve on water district rate hikes claiming the Helix Water Board violated the requirement that the public be given adequate notice of any rate increases. The board voted to cancel a hearing and revise its rate hike proposal to accommodate public concerns about its fairness. -DB East County Magazine May 24, 2009 By Dennis Moore LA MESA, Calif. – Following a joint investigation by East County Magazine and Channel 10 news

Moderate candidates in the Iranian presidential election on June 12 are criticizing a government move to close down Facebook and prevent them from mobilizing the youth vote. -DB Kansas City Star May 24, 2009 By ALI AKBAR DAREINI Associated Press Writer Iran’s decision to block access to Facebook – less than three weeks before nationwide elections – drew sharp criticism Sunday from a reformist opposition hoping to mobilize the youth vote and unseat President Mahmoud

Visalia Mayor Jesus Gamboa says he had no intention of denying developers a chance to comment on issues affecting their work. The developers say the mayor has not regularly opened meetings for public comment. –DB The Fresno Bee May. 21, 2009 By Lewis Griswold Developers in Visalia complain they are being ignored when issues affecting their industry come before the Visalia council during work sessions, and they blame Mayor Jesus Gamboa for not opening the

Citizens claim the Industry City Council broke the Brown Act when they approved an environmental report on a proposed National Football League stadium. The city attorney said that for environmental reports the law does not require public hearings. –DB San Gabriel Valley Tribune May 21, 2009 By Amanda Baumfeld INDUSTRY, Calif. – A citizen’s group believes the City Council violated the state’s public meeting laws when it approved a supplemental environmental report on a proposed

A panel of experts told a committee of the House of Representatives that the National Archives and Records Administration is failing to conserve agency electronic records, especially e-mails. -DB Nextgov.com May 21, 2009 By Jill R. Aitoro The government’s practices in preserving electronic records is “fatally flawed,” and the National Archives and Records Administration must enforce stricter policies to store agencies records, especially e-mail messages, a panel of records management professionals told a House hearing