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Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Are city council subcommittees Brown Act-exempt?

[…] written descriptions of these subcommittees available for review. That said, if the city does have any writings pertaining to these subcommittees, then presumably they would be public records under the Public Records Act, and thus must be disclosed upon request unless some exemption applies. You can find additional guidance on making a request under […]

September 21, 2012
Asked and Answered

CPRA

The CPRA…

Under the California Public Records Act ("PRA"), the public has a right to inspect and obtain copies of documents collected or maintained by state or local agencies. The PRA requires agencies to provide you with the documents requested, or notify you that your request has been denied, within 10 days. (Gov't Code § 6253). […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

Blog

Government Secrecy Must Not Be the Legacy of Mass Shooting

[…] the shooter and a law enforcement officer who responded to the scene. As the story unfolded over the following weeks, journalists covering this horrific event sought public records, including autopsy reports. It’s the grim work of reporters to review death records and inform their readers about a community'sdarkest moments. But in the case of […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Records
October 6, 2021
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

Is a coroner’s report a public document?

As you probably know, the general rule is that any document collected, owned, or maintained by a state or local agency are public records for the purposes of the California Public Records Act ("PRA"), Cal. Gov't Code section 6250 et seq., and must be made available for public inspection and copying unless the Act […]

October 12, 2010
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Obligation to stated agenda

[…] of a local agency by any person in connection with a matter subject to discussion or consideration at a public meeting of the body, are disclosable public records under the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1), and shall be made available upon request without […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Newsgathering

Can newspaper publish captured police-scanner audio of gunfight?

May 7, 2013
Latest News

Cases Press Release

FAC Moves to Unseal Records in BART Station Murder Case

The First Amendment Coalition today asked a judge to unseal records in the criminal case against John Lee Cowell, the man charged in the stabbing death of teenager Nia Wilson at an Oakland BART station in 2018. FAC’s motion to unseal comes after Cowell’s attorney filed a secret motion to toss all charges, potentially […]

October 31, 2019
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Application of the Brown Act to Volunteer Fire Companies

I am a member of a volunteer fire company and our tax status is a 501c4. Our tax return is part of the Public Records Act, but are the rest of our records part of the same Act? We believe that we are not part of the Brown Act because none of our members […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Request for names of Squid Vessel Permit buyers denied

Under the CPRA public records are presumed open, unless a specific exemption applies. Cal. Gov’t Code § 6254 (k) exempts from disclosure "records, the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law." Cal. Gov’t Code § 6276, 6276.10 specifically lists commercial fishing reports under Section 8022, Fish and Game Code as […]

June 11, 2015
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Tax collector withholding documents

[…] authority for withholding the record or without giving you notice that it will extend its allowable time by 14 days (which, as explained below, the California Public Records Act "PRA" permits in unusual circumstances). What I suggest you do is to submit another request. Be sure to specify that this second request is being […]

July 16, 2009