FAC celebrated Sunshine Week and its lead-up with events in the community and classrooms.
Sunshine Week is underway! The annual nonpartisan initiative, which runs from March 15 – 21, promotes the importance of government transparency through nationwide events, activities, and educational resources.
At FAC, we’re marking the occasion with classroom visits and community outreach, while also highlighting some of the events happening across the country – and sharing resources that we and others have created to promote public records access across California and beyond. 
We hope you’ll take some time to join in during this important week. At a time when government transparency is under immense strain, it is heartening to see the many organizations and individuals across the country that are so deeply dedicated to the public’s right to know.
Nationwide Events:
A list of Sunshine Week FOIA and public records workshops and training events, many of them virtual, can be found at this link.
Public Records Resources:
FOIA Wiki is an invaluable tool for those who want to know more about how to make Freedom of Information Act requests to federal agencies. The site is maintained by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and allied organizations.
The Society of Professional Journalists offers a step-by-step guide to freedom of information here.
For California-specific resources, bookmark our Reporter’s Field Guides aimed at providing guidance and support for journalists on some of the most challenging coverage topics.
- Reporter’s Field Guide: Data Sources in California
- Reporter’s Field Guide: Election Day Access
- Reporter’s Field Guide: Police Shootings
- Reporter’s Field Guide: Immigration Enforcement
- Guía para periodistas: Aplicación de las leyes de inmigración
FAC also hosts training sessions for the press and public on a variety of open government and First Amendment topics. Request a training here.
If you are facing challenges with government transparency in California, FAC’s legal hotline is a free tool to ask our legal team questions about access to public records, the right to attend public meetings, access to court records and other open government topics.
What We’re Reading for Sunshine Week:
The Document Divide: Why Public Records Laws Are Failing Average Americans
“The reality is that FOIA is a convoluted, intimidating, expensive and legalistic system that favors the educated, rich, white, male, aged and liberal,” writes David Cuillier, director of the Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida. What can be done about this massive “document divide”? Cuillier makes several proposals aimed at making a difference.
Public Records Shed Light on the Justice System — But it Can Be a Battle to Get Them
The Marshall Project explains how public records led to vital findings on failed drug tests, health care in jails, unsolved homicides and more. It also lays out the immense challenges facing reporters who seek those records. As one attorney with decades of experience in open government told them, the country is “in a dangerous moment when it comes to transparency.”
How accessible is local government across San Diego? We graded the agencies.
In San Diego county, inewsource reporter Katie Futterman and the San Diego Documenters program examined how accessible local city councils are to the public. The team attended public meetings, reviewed websites and watched video recordings to shed some light for readers.
FAC Press Education Specialist Thadeus Greenson recaps three days of highlights following the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference, where he organized public records workshops.
And from the the winners of FAC’s 2025 Free Speech & Open Government Award:
OUSD lead crisis: Internal records reveal panic and confusion among school leaders
The Oaklandside investigated the lead contamination crisis at the Oakland schools.
Where the Police Used a Taser on a Bible-Reading Great-Grandmother
A reporting team filed hundreds of public records requests to investigate brutality and in a Mississippi jail.
In Court:
Our legal team will be in court in Fresno this week in our Brown Act lawsuit filed with ACLU NorCal to stop the City Council’s practice of holding closed-door budget committee meetings.
Victory! We’re celebrating our win forcing more transparency over the controversial Glass House ICE raid in Ventura County. We secured a successful settlement and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, which had a heavy presence at the raid, turned over hours of body-worn camera footage.