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Public officials’ love of secrecy is no match for the public’s love to watch government decision-making up close. In California, democratic voyeurism prevails.

By Peter Scheer One of California's more remarkable political inventions is the requirement that lawmakers do their lawmaking in the open for all to see. Call it the people’s entitlement to democratic voyeurism: Members of city councils, county supervisors and school boards (among other local legislative bodies) must not only vote in public, they […]
- Public Meetings
June 2, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

The CPRA and privately owned utilities companies

Does the CA Public Records Act apply to a public, stockholder-owned company regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission?

August 7, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA First Amendment

Parent’s email complaint entered as a public comment by school site council

[…] School Site Council. During a recent public comment period, our chairperson read aloud an email that contained a detailed complaint (disclosing the names of a staff member and the emailer’s child – neither of whom were present). Is it the case that we are obligated under the Brown Act to hear the full text […]

May 3, 2016
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Teacher terminated after closed session

Last weekend our son's 4th grade teacher was fired from her "at will" employment at a local charter school. The board held a Regular Meeting and decided "immediate action" had to be taken. The teacher did not receive 24 hours notice about the meeting but was asked if she wanted to speak for five […]

October 20, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act First Amendment

Limiting Public Comment to Issues Not Already Covered

I recently attended a County Board of Supervisor's Meeting concerning implementation of medical cannabis ID card program. During the meeting the board Chairman told the individuals coming forward that when they are giving their testimonies they are to limit their comments to issue other than what has already been brought up by previous testimonies. […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

FAC News Press Release

EFF and ACLU Staffers Win 2017 FAC Award for Work on Public Access to Police Surveillance Records

The First Amendment Coalition is proud to announce the recipients of its 2017 Free Speech & Open Government Award are Jennifer Lynch and Dave Maass of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Peter Bibring of the American Civil Liberties Union-Southern California (ACLU), selected for their joint work to bring accountability and transparency to the […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
November 27, 2017
Latest News

Newspaper finance crisis: Nonprofit model no panacea but may be part of the answer

By Donal Brown Like the economy generally, the newspaper industry's financial crisis deepens daily with reports of bankruptcies, layoffs and closings. The prospect that this downward spiral could leave the country, or large parts of it, without a vigorous press to uncover news of vital interest has fueled interest in alternative business models--notably including […]

June 3, 2009
Asked and Answered

Court Records CPRA Police Records

Denied access to supervision records of high-risk parolee

Message I'm trying to obtain records of supervision for a high-risk parolee who is accused of murder. I sent a public records request and received a rejection letter that cites dozens of government codes in its defense. But I wonder if there's a way to fight that rejection. After all, that information has become […]

November 30, 2011
Latest News

Can local legislators speak freely to voters? The answer should be an emphatic “yes.” Too often the answer given is “maybe.”

[…] of a city council, school board or board of county supervisors must be impartial and unbiased, more like judges than legislators. What does this mean for a newly elected (or reelected) city council member? Suppose the council will decide whether to approve expansion of a controversial housing development. If the member told voters during […]

December 16, 2014
Asked and Answered

Brown Act First Amendment

Bundling agenda action items silences public input

I would like to question the legality of a new practice our school board school board to "bundle" regular action items on the agenda. At the only regular board meeting of August 2010, after approving the consent calendar, the board approved the regular agenda items as presented. Their own by-laws state an agenda item […]

September 17, 2010