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Behind the Headlines: How EdSource Put Sunshine on Policing in California Schools

[…] journalists spent more than a year acquiring public records from law enforcement across California to document policing in K-12 schools. The project — a seemingly impossible undertaking due to barriers to public information — came at a time when communities were debating anew the role of armed officers in schools. (Graphics by EdSource. Photo: halbergman/istockphoto)
- Government Transparency and Accountability
October 14, 2024
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Newsgathering

FAC Urges Santa Ana City Council to Withdraw Press Restrictions on City Council Meetings

Tonight, members of the Santa Ana City Council will consider withdrawing a policy that restricts journalists covering the council. Our comments state: "The policy interferes with the ability of the press to exercise editorial discretion in covering public meetings and runs afoul of the Ralph M. Brown Act’s provisions guaranteeing the public’s ability to record."
- Press Freedom
September 17, 2024
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Public Records

San Bernardino County Sheriff Finally Releases Videos of Shootout After FAC Demanded Full Disclosure

[…] recordings. Only after FAC sent a letter demanding release in December 2023 did the department finally disclose them on March 29, 2024. As reported in this story by Scott and Sam Levin, the newly released footage shows how deputies "fatally shot an unarmed 15-year-old girl who was a reported kidnapping victim." More News Coverage: […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
April 4, 2024
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First Amendment

Groups Urge Fresno County to Reject Book Ban

[…] children’s books and other materials with allegedly "age-inappropriate content" off-limits to anyone under 18 without "parental or guardian consent." As the letter states, the resolution "transforms the government into both nanny and censor while perverting the public’s civil liberties. The government has no business interfering with the decisions of young people and their families […]
- Free Expression
November 7, 2023
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FAC Writes in Support of Reporter Disparaged By Elected Official Following Public Records Request

[…] and Public Trust of Fresno State today called on a California public official to apologize for insulting a reporter and to take seriously his obligations under open- government laws. The letter to Tom Wheeler, a member of the Madera County Board of Supervisors, comes after Wheeler responded to a reporter's public records request with, […]
- Press Freedom
January 22, 2021
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FAC Urges Vallejo City Hall to Acknowledge Public Records Requests Can Be Made Anonymously

In a June 23 letter, the First Amendment Coalition urged the city of Vallejo to amend its online portal for requesting public records to make clear that a requester need not provide a name or other personal identifying information as a condition of making a request. Update: Vallejo City Attorney Veronica Nebb said the […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 23, 2022
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FAC Urges California Courts to Ensure Public Access Amid COVID-19 Emergency

The First Amendment Coalition and 10 other advocacy organizations today called on the California judiciary to recognize and enforce the public’s First Amendment right of access to court proceedings as court operations change in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Courts across California are halting proceedings, restricting access to buildings and holding some hearings […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
March 25, 2020
Posts

First Amendment

FAC Condemns Kern County for Violating Local Man’s First Amendment Rights

Read June 28, 2022, FAC Letter to Kern County Counsel Over Speech-Chilling Threat The First Amendment Coalition today sent a letter to the Kern County Counsel's Office condemning a legal threat the office made against a member of the public, Bakersfield resident Eddy Laine, after Laine exercised his right to complain to a state […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 28, 2022
Posts

New Book Review Board Is Subject to Brown Act, FAC and ACLU Warn

[…] over the city library’s acquisition of new children’s books "containing any sexual writing, sexual references, sexual images and/or other sexual content." As the FAC and ACLU letter points out, this new board is a "legislative body" as defined by the Brown Act, so its meetings must be open and public. See the full letter below:
- Government Transparency and Accountability
November 13, 2023
Posts

Legislature approves FAC-sponsored bill on cell phone privacy. Will Brown sign it?

SB 914, a FAC-sponsored bill to prohibit warrantless searches of cell phones during an arrest, has been approved by the California Legislature. The legislation now goes to the Governor's office, where, because of opposition by law enforcement, its fate is uncertain. The Senate yesterday approved the bill, which was introduced by Senator Mark Leno […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 2, 2011