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Obfuscating Mercy: How the California Supreme Court Finally Addressed Secretive Pardons

[…] file, often hundreds of pages long, to the Supreme Court. The file may contain the applicant’s prison records, a recommendation from the Board of Parole Hearings, and letters of support from the community.Related articles: Op-ed: Gov. Newsom Should Commit to Transparency in Clemency Process (David Snyder, Sacramento Bee) Gov. Jerry Brown's Pardon of Former […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Records
September 17, 2021
Posts

FAC Joins Nationwide Coalition Urging Transparency and Access in Response to COVID-19

Today the First Amendment Coalition joined the National Freedom of Information Coalition and 130 organizations nationwide in a letter to state, tribal and local public institutions raising concerns about transparency and access to meetings and records as these institutions respond to the coronavirus public-health crisis. Government bodies should not opportunistically take advantage of the […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
March 20, 2020
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Reporting closed sessions decisions

[…] enforce the Brown Act may be entitled to recover attorneys' fees. Please note, however, that there are strict deadlines for enforcing the Brown Act, including sending a cure-and-correct letter within a certain amount of time.You can find more information about the Brown Act, including enforcing the Act, at the FAC web site (http://firstamendmentcoalition.org/category/resources/access-to-meetings/) Access […]

June 5, 2010
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Access to Coroner’s Files

I sent the following request to the LA County Coroner's office, asking for information. Their refusal to cooperate is reproduced after my original letter. Am I entitled to any of the information I requested?

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Brown Act and statute of limitations

[…] for injunctive relief is quite short. Please note that before suing for injunctive relief, you are required to make a written demand that the legislative body " cure or correct" the action. Cal. Gov't Code section 54960.1(b). Generally speaking, the demand must be made within 90 days from the date the action is taken […]

June 14, 2009
Posts

First Amendment Press Rights

FAC news: Prop 42 victory, amicus briefs on the Wrap, NCAA, fee waivers & more

[…] amicus brief urges the CA Supreme Court to review the case in order to clarify that the state’s "retraction statute," which limits the liability of publishers who correct factual mistakes, applies to digital publications as well as print publications. Thieriot v. The Wrap News, Inc. Enforcement of a CPRA request for emails of San […]
June 17, 2014
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Open meeting law and homeowners associations

[…] a lawsuit seeking to void the action taken under Government Code section 54960.1. However, you must first submit a written notice of alleged violation and demand to cure (typically within 90 days of the meeting at issue), after which the board has 30 days to respond. Upon expiration of that 30-day period with no […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

City Surveillance Cameras and Public Records Law

[…] or security files compiled by any other state or local police agency, or any investigatory or security files compiled by any other state or local agency for correctional, law enforcement, or licensing purposes. Gov't Code section 6254(f)." It is unclear from your email whether these surveillance cameras are maintained by the city's police department […]

November 20, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

CA Public Benefit Corporations and the CPRA

[…] growth issue for two years now and have just recently organized as a non-profit (CA Public Benefit Corp) and filed under IRS 501(c)(3) to obtain a Determination Letter. Anyhow, I've spent numerous hours reading CA state websites re planning issues, AG Opinion letters, abbreviated court cases, etc., visiting law libraries and trying to get […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

How Do I Request 911 Call Transcripts?

[…] Gov’t Code § 6254(f)(2). If for some reason you did not make a written request already, I suggest you do so. You can find a sample request letter on the FAC website to help get you started:CPRA Request Letter If you have not heard back from them, you may want to send the agency […]

March 25, 2020