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Public Records

FAC Opposes AB 1821

FAC opposes AB 1821, a bill that would frustrate public access to information by giving government agencies more time to provide initial responses to anyone seeking information under the California Public Records Act. That initial response does not require agencies to produce records. It simply requires them to say whether they have responsive records […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
April 9, 2026
Latest News

Press Release

“The Alabama Solution,” The Oaklandside, and Mississippi Today/New York Times/Reveal Honored for Outstanding Contributions to Free Speech and Open Government

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 2, 2026 Contact: [email protected] San Rafael, Calif. – Today the First Amendment Coalition announced the winners of its 2025 Free Speech and Open Government Award. They are Ashley McBride and Callie Rhoades of The Oaklandside; Robert Earl Council, Melvin Ray, and Ricardo "Raoul" Poole of "The Alabama Solution" documentary film; […]

March 2, 2026
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Can a city council reduce the time allotted for individual public comment?

Can you tell me, if it is listed in the agenda that we are to get three minutes to speak, is the City Council permitted to amend that time limit to two minutes, just before we speak? Can you let me know if this violates the Brown Act?

September 25, 2025
Asked and Answered

First Amendment

Can a school limit a teacher’s speech?

I used to teach in a school district in the midwest. In some classes, I mentioned that I support the right to bear arms by sharing a personal story about how a gun helped me. I also talked about gun safety and responsibility. Parents complained about what I shared with the students. I was […]

April 1, 2025
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Can the governing board of a public agency delete recordings of public meetings?

A California public agency makes recordings of public meetings accessible to the public by posting them on its website. However, the recordings appear to be removed from the website after 12 months. I believe these recordings, even when removed from the agency’s website, should be accessible via a CPRA request. Do removed records have […]

April 1, 2025
Latest News

FAC News

We’re Hiring: Programs Coordinator

[…] to the health of our democracy – that the values expressed by the First Amendment provide a blueprint for an inclusive, equitable society and a responsive, accountable government. To that end, FAC educates, advocates and litigates to protect and promote government transparency and First Amendment protections for all. FAC is a small but growing […]

February 18, 2025
Handbooks

Guide to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act

The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act is the public meetings law that applies to California state boards, committees, and commissions.
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 10, 2024
Posts

Shasta News Outlets, FAC, and ACLU Demand Shasta County Repeal Unlawful Public Records Act Fee Ordinance

[…] an ordinance that imposes unlawful fees for public records that can run into the thousands of dollars and threaten the public’s fundamental right to open and accountable government. In a letter sent today, lawyers for FAC and the ACLU told members of the Shasta County Board of Supervisors that their organizations, joined by the […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 20, 2023
Posts

Governor Brown decides fate of open-government bills

The Richard McKee Brown Act enforcement bill wasn’t the only open- government legislation to come before Governor Brown at the end of this legislative session. Here’s what happened with the bills that FAC has been tracking this year: AB 1270: Governor Brown vetoed this bill that would have allowed journalists greater ability to request […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Press Freedom
October 12, 2012
Posts

FAC-backed bill, AB 521, would require disclosure of water usage by corporations

The California Legislature will consider a FAC-backed bill to narrow the CPRA’s exemption for information on water usage by customers of government water districts. The bill, AB 1520, would reverse the outcome of an unsuccessful lawsuit filed by FAC against the Coachella Valley Water District in 2014. The CPRA for nearly 20 years has […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 30, 2015