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The “deliberative process privilege” is dead or, at best, on life support

[…] have been. By Peter Scheer The chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, Bill Postmus, refuses to make public his calendar of meetings and other government events. This refusal takes no small amount of chutzpah, since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regularly releases his calendars, as have all other statewide elected officials. Postmus is […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 2, 2009
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Shame on Inglewood. Using copyright as a muzzle, the city files suit to censor a local critic

BY PETER SCHEER--Inglewood CA doesn’t have much to commend it. To the various reasons not to live there--like high crime rates and bankrupt schools---the city government has added this threat: if you criticize the mayor or other officials, the city will hire lawyers to censor you. That is the clear message to be drawn […]
- Free Expression
May 29, 2015
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SacBee calls for more transparency in compensation agreements with public employee unions

[…] compensation contracts between municipalities and public employee unions. The editorial cites an article by CFAC's executive director. Here's the SacBee editorial: ----- Editorial: Let public in on government labor deals Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, May 13, 2008 Peter Scheer, who heads the California First Amendment Coalition, has a novel idea: End the secrecy […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 2, 2009
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Cases Press Release

Public Records Lawsuit Seeks Transparency at San José City Hall

[…] that Mayor Liccardo directed a constituent to contact him on a personal email account to skirt public records laws. "I’m going to delete this email from my government account," Liccardo wrote to the constituent, according to documents obtained and published by San José Spotlight. As San José Spotlight and FAC attorneys tell the court, […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
February 3, 2022
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Cases Press Release

Obama acts on FAC petition against China’s “Great Firewall”

October 19, 2011---The Obama administration on Wednesday said that, using World Trade Organization rules, it was calling on the government of China to answer detailed questions about its censorship of the internet--in particular, the blocking of websites of US-based businesses seeking to tap the vast Chinese consumer market. The announcement, which grows out of […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
October 20, 2011
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Memo to Future Historians of the Trump Presidency: Good Luck. You’ll Need It.

[…] technology that fosters confidentiality in our private communications. Encryption is the word of the day for journalists, sources, and others -- for good reason. But communications by government officials about government work are, by definition, not "private" communications--regardless of the medium by which those messages are transmitted. (One exception would be confidential communications between […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
August 4, 2017
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Blog Cases

FAC, EFF and Wired win unsealing of documents in hip-hop website seizure case

BY DEBORAH FRUIN--A federal district court in Los Angeles has unsealed records related to a government shutdown of a music blog/website, Dajaz1.com, for suspicion of copyright piracy. The unsealing had been requested by FAC, Wired, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Using a forfeiture authority usually invoked to seize cars and houses in drug cases, […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
May 16, 2012
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Blog FAC News

FAC Seeks Nominations for 2018 Free Speech & Open Government Award

The First Amendment Coalition is soliciting nominees for the FAC Free Speech & Open Government Award, given each year for performance of exemplary work in the arena of open government. Qualifications for the award are outstanding accomplishment, service or other contributions to "the people’s right to know" about government. The winner, or winners, could […]

August 15, 2018
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FAC News Press Release

FAC Honors Open Vallejo, Kaiser Health News, and The Maine Monitor with Annual Award

[…] IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 27, 2023 Contact: [email protected] SAN RAFAEL – The First Amendment Coalition is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 Free Speech and Open Government Award: three journalists who strategically used public records to expose government misconduct and failures of accountability. Some of this work resulted in significant government reforms. Through […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
February 27, 2023
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The Legal Hotline gives users quick, free access to FAC’s lawyers for questions about access to public records and your right to attend government meetings in California; access to court documents and proceedings in California and federal courts; and First Amendment protections for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

June 12, 2024