Q: I have been seeking access to seismic studies performed as part of the county’s subway extension process but my request has been denied. I would like to make the request under the FOIA. How should I do this? Does the County have its own FOIA? A: Since it sounds like the agency you are seeking records from is a local agency, as opposed to a federal agency, you would probably want to make your
Q: Our watchdog organization submitted a PRA request on three months ago for copies of audio and visual surveillance recordings made during a political demonstration. Within 10 days we received a response saying that we would get all ”releasable” items within 90 days. I have twice called, and left messages for the officer who responded to this request, with no response from him. Simply, 90 days being much more than the time allowed by law,
Q: I have sent the university several PRA Requests in conjunction with my son’s recent death on campus. The state university responded that they would respond to my request in 10 days. Ten days later I received a letter saying they they would produce the requested documents on almost a month later. When the appointed day came, I received no response. I sent an e-mail inquiry, the school responded saying they they would respond 30
Q: I made a request to the California Medical Board for licensing application information. The Medical Board denied my request and offered no avenues for appeal. By my reading of relevant case law, and admittedly I am not a lawyer, this information is clearly not exempt from the Public Records Act. Are there avenues for appeal for this kind of denial that don’t involve entering litigation? If litigation is required, is it common practice, or
Q: I am a reporter trying to access public records for two investigations regarding incidents involving a City Councilman — one at a city-owned clubhouse and the other at a local transit agency. Both of my public records requsts have been rejected because officials say it is a personnel matter. In the transit agency’s rejection letter, which is the one I received most recently, it cites California Gov. Code 6254(c)and(k) as well as City of