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Showing 1331 - 1340 of 1525 results

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA Newsgathering Police Records

    Requests for crime reports denied by police department

    I am a reporter, and I've been having trouble obtaining crime reports from our local police department. I've requested crime reports twice and both times I'm told that they are being withheld because of Government Code section 6254(f). To be clear, one time I requested all crime reports that had been filed over a […]

    July 10, 2017

  • Posts

    California Assembly Bill 1479 Would Add Much-Needed Teeth to Disclosure Requirements Under the California Public Records Act

    One of the most frequent complaints FAC hears from people seeking records under the Cali fornia Public Records Act (CPRA) is that government agencies simply ignore the law's requirement that the government respond to a request within a certain time frame.  One reason government agencies do this is that there is very little cost […]

    April 20, 2017

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Do agenda posting times count business days only?

    […] Thus, posting an agenda on Friday morning would be sufficient for a Monday meeting. Bryan Cave LLP is general counsel for the First Amendment Coalition and responds to FAC hotline inquiries. In responding to these inquiries, we can give general information regarding open government and speech issues but cannot provide specific legal advice or representation.

    March 18, 2016

  • Asked and Answered

    Newsgathering

    Protection against libel for Florida reporters?

    My company and I are being sued for defamation at state court in Miami, Florida. In discovery, the plaintiff has requested all emails between me and others that mention his name. As a reporter, am I protected by law from having to turn over such information?

    January 20, 2015

  • Latest News

    Blog

    First Amendment travesties far and near

    BY PETER SCHEER---The Israeli Parliament on Monday passed legislation to bar public calls for a boycott against Israel or its West Bank settlements, according to the New York Times. The law’s supporters said it was necessary to push back against what they described as a strategy to delegitimize Israel in the eyes of the […]

    July 12, 2011

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Workshops v. Special Meetings

    […] was labeled board special meeting/workshop. It was just a workshop called to discuss how to deal with the media. I asked for our attorneys opinion in this, and they felt that since we posted the agenda 24 hours in advance of the meeting it was ok, and no laws would be broken if we […]

    June 14, 2009

  • Asked and Answered

    Newsgathering

    What Are Newsgathers’ Rights Regarding Private Homes Involved in Major Wildfire Area?

    I got a question about legal right (protected by First Amendment or any other Constitutional law) for our reporter here in California to gather news (pictures, videos) being on the private property during a recent major wildfire. We have all permissions from local authorities to gather news in a nearby burned out town (they […]

    January 7, 2020

  • Posts

    First Amendment

    FAC Condemns Kern County for Violating Local Man’s First Amendment Rights

    […] threat the office made against a member of the public, Bakersfield resident Eddy Laine, after Laine exercised his right to complain to a state agency about h andling of his public records requests. The letter explains why county counsel's threat of legal liability under a state law called the False Claims Act is not […]

    June 28, 2022