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Search Results for: electronic records – Page 17

Senate committee looking at FOIA weaknesses

donal brown April 5, 2022

The U.S. Senate Committee of the Judiciary agreed that the Freedom of Information Act is deficient as requests for information decrease but backlogs increase. (News Media Alliance, March 31, 2022, by Staff) The onset of the pandemic caused delays as certain records were not accessible and Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill. said the volume of e-mails and other electronic records make it impossible for humans to conduct searches and redactions needed for release. Durbin wanted to

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A&A: Can I Obtain A Copy of A Zoning Complaint Filed Against Me?

FAC August 11, 2020

Q: If someone filed a complaint with the county zoning office about my property can I obtain a copy of the complaint to determine who filed this complaint? A: Yes – the document is public record subject to the California Public Records Act (the “CPRA”).  In addition, the CPRA applies to all local agencies, including school districts and any board or commission of a city, county or other political subdivision.  See Gov’t Code section 6252(b).  We typically

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A&A: Can the School District Refuse to Disclose Legal Fees Because of Attorney-Client Privilege?

FAC August 6, 2020

Q: A school district in California is refusing to disclose the amounts paid to outside legal counsel to defend itself in a federal lawsuit filed by a school board member. District officials are citing the appellate decision in LA County Board of Supervisors v. Superior Court as supporting case law. Have you encountered this defense? Is it legitimate? A: Attorney-client privilege is an exemption to the California Public Records Act (the “CPRA”), and it is

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California Supreme Court Stops Cities From Charging Steep Fees for Video Redactions

FAC May 28, 2020

The California Supreme Court today issued an opinion preventing government agencies from charging the public for editing and compiling police body camera footage and other electronic records before the records are released. The First Amendment Coalition and the California News Publishers Association filed an amicus brief in the case, National Lawyers Guild v. City of Hayward. We urged the court to find that agencies cannot require members of the public to pay for redaction costs regardless

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Government agencies shutting down FOIA requests

donal brown March 27, 2020

The State Department relies on retired Foreign Service Officers to process Freedom of Information Act requests, but few are equipped to telework. With the officers sidelined, the department said there is a 96 percent reduction in capacity to process FOIA requests. (Politico, March 27, 2020, by Josh Gerstein) Some agencies face legitimate obstacles during the pandemic, but others moved to delay requests needlessly. The FBI stopped processing electronic records requests. Philadelphia stopped processing records requests

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