FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: [email protected]
San Rafael, Calif. – Today the First Amendment Coalition sued the City of El Monte for violating the California Public Records Act by refusing to release records related to the outside employment of El Monte police officers. FAC represents the Los Angeles Center for Investigative Journalism (LACIJ), the nonprofit news organization that publishes Investigate LA, a news site focusing on underreported, data-driven stories in San Gabriel Valley.
“When the government withholds information from journalists, it’s the public that pays the price,” says LACIJ editor Albert Serna. “These documents are critical to keeping El Monte and the police department accountable for ensuring that officers are not overworked or double-dipping at taxpayers’ expense.”
As the editor of Investigate L.A., Serna sought to report on outside employment of El Monte police officers. In February 2025, he made a Public Records Act request for all records regarding outside employment, including any permits an officer would need from the department to authorize work for a private employer.
The city refused to provide the permits, asserting they are “personnel records” that are exempt from disclosure.
“The city must follow strict rules on outside employment of police officers,” said David Loy, FAC’s legal director. “The public has a right to verify that the city is complying with laws and policies designed to prevent potential conflicts of interest and corruption.”
A recent investigation by CBS News and Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University that examined more than 100 police departments’ secondary employment policies found that inadequate oversight of off-duty work can lead to misconduct and leave “the public vulnerable to corruption and danger.”
Los Angeles Center for Investigative Journalism v. City of El Monte was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.