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  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Can California Agencies Continue to Hold Meetings Remotely After the State Reopens?

    […] through Zoom is "currently not legal under the Brown Act" is incorrect. The agency does acknowledge that online meetings would not comply with the Brown Act "but for the emergency order," presumably referring to Executive Order N-29-20, attached. The order states, in relevant part, that all requirements in the Brown Act "expressly or impliedly […]

    June 11, 2021

  • Latest News

    Cases Press Release

    FAC Moves to Unseal Records in BART Station Murder Case

    […] no evidence to justify secrecy, as required under the First Amendment and California law. Moreover, the court considered no alternatives to secrecy — also a legal requirement for sealing. "This case involves terrible crimes committed at public transportation facilities used by thousands of commuters daily. There is a legitimate public interest in these proceedings, […]

    October 31, 2019

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA

    Charging for research and the CPRA

    I submitted a Public Records Act Request with the air district, asking for copies of different kinds of permit applications. They came back to us stating that they copied about 50 pages and cost would be $435. Most of this cost was because of the five hours staff spent searching for the materials. I […]

    June 14, 2009

  • Latest News

    Cases Press Release

    Ninth Circuit Refuses to Rehear Honking-As-Speech Case

    Attorneys Considering Appeal Before U.S. Supreme Court FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: fac@firstamendmentcoalition.org San Rafael, Calif. – On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear Porter v. Martinez, the case that challenges a California law banning the expressive use of car horns. In October 2017, Susan Porter was cited for violating Section 27001 […]

    May 23, 2023

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Authority to call school district special meetings

    California Govt. Code Section 61221(c) states that as part of its internal organization, the board of a Community Services District shall "provide for the manner of calling special meetings."  The School District should have adopted a rule about calling special meetings, and this rule presumably sets forth who is authorized to call an emergency […]

    June 14, 2009

  • Latest News

    Cases Press Release

    FAC Urges Reversal of Ruling Allowing Secret Government Meetings for Speculative ‘Public Safety’ Concerns

    The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) today filed an amicus brief in a California Court of Appeal case that could have far-reaching consequences for the transparency of government meetings. In the brief, FAC urges the court to find that Metrolink, Southern California’s largest commuter rail system, violated the state’s open-meetings laws when it barred the […]

    May 14, 2018

  • Posts

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

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2023 Contact: fac@firstamendmentcoalition.org SAN RAFAEL — The First Amendment Coalition and ACLU of Northern California, along with news outlets Shasta Scout and the Record Searchlight, today called on Shasta County to repeal an ordinance that imposes unlawful fees for public records that can run into the thousands of […]

    September 20, 2023

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA

    Employee Information and the CPRA

    […] has so far removed the information, reposted it and removed it again.  They state that it is public information which anyone can obtain.  I understand the need for public knowledge but I would think knowing a state agency's classifications and associated salary ranges is much different than posting an individual's exact income.  They are […]

    June 14, 2009

  • Latest News

    Blog Events

    Sunshine Week Event: Inside the Fight for Public Information

    Sunshine Week 2021: Join us for a discussion on navigating barriers to public records and fighting for open government Update: Check out the event recap. The coronavirus pandemic has made accessing public information more challenging than ever, with some governments refusing to even respond to requests for public records. Yet news organizations across the […]

    March 2, 2021