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Police are wrong: Cop-cam videos must be released as public records

[…] they do not have "carte blanche" or "unlimited" power to label any document as part of an investigatory file. If police were permitted to do that, the " exemption would swallow the rule." Body camera and dashboard tapes in particular shouldn’t be labeled confidential investigatory material. The footage represents objective, neutral documentation of events, and in […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
October 6, 2016
Latest News

FAC News Press Release

NEW name, NEW website, Bigger role, Same mission

[…] borders in an era when information published in, say, Eureka, CA is available instantly and everywhere via the internet. The First Amendment Coalition ("FAC" or "the Coalition" for short) for many years has been involved in legal matters, including federal appellate cases, whose effects extend beyond California’s borders. More recently we have worked to […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 22, 2009
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Blog Cases

New “drone memo” to be released to FAC . . . and other developments in FAC’s legal cases

[…] memo analyzing the legality of the government’s proposed use of force to kill al-Aulaqi, a US citizen who had joined Al Qaeda and taken on operational functions for Al-Qaeda’s operations in Yemen. Al-Aulaqi was subsequently killed in a 2010 drone attack. The disclosure about the second memo was made in a filing in FAC’s […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
July 11, 2014
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Blog

MediaNews, Hearst and Clint Reilly should not be allowed to keep their secret settlement a secret

[…] participants. Recent examples include the Wall Street Journal, whose top editors knew about Rupert Murdoch’s offer to purchase Dow Jones (owner of the Journal and related businesses) for days before the news was made public--not by the Journal, but by CNBC, a competitor. In California, the Hearst Corporation, owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Press Freedom
June 2, 2009
Latest News

Blog Cases

Major newspapers back CFAC/MAPlight lawsuit to expand public access to Legislative actions

[…] their hands." There is no mystery about why California politicians might be reluctant to cooperate with MAPLight. The nonprofit, nonpartisan group has set up an easy-to-navigate way for voters to track the connection between contributions and votes in Congress. It hopes to do the same in the state Capitol. I have no doubt the […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 2, 2009
Latest News

Cases Press Release

Key settlement in FAC case breaks new ground in public access to officials’ emails

[…] a landmark settlement in a case involving public access to government email messages. The agreement with the city of Auburn, California requires the city to save emails for at least two years–replacing a prior policy of deleting most emails after 30 days. The agreement, approved by the city today, also assures public access to […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
July 25, 2012
Latest News

FAC News Press Release

Journalists Thomas Peele & Caroline Titus named 2016 FAC Award Winners

[…] stories that advance government transparency and "the people’s right to know." The winners are journalists Thomas Peele and Caroline Titus. The following is from the award citations for each: THOMAS PEELE is an investigative reporter, teacher and open government advocate who filed hundreds of public records requests this year to build a database of the 944 […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
November 29, 2016
Latest News

Cases Press Release

Journalist Sues City of Fresno for Withholding Public Records About Taser Use that Caused Severe Burns

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2023 Contact: [email protected] SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Brian Howey, an Oakland-based investigative journalist, has sued the City of Fresno under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) for the city’s refusal to release use-of-force records regarding the death of Michael Sanders, who was tased multiple times by Fresno police […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
April 21, 2023
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Blog

How FAC Fights for Police Transparency

[…] a FAQ and sample request letters. CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RECORDS ACT PRIMER This handbook offers an overview of our state’s main freedom of information law, with discussion of exemptions, fees, and best practices for submitting requests. The Public Records Act was renumbered in 2023, and this guide has been updated to reflect the new code […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
August 9, 2023
Latest News

Cases Press Release

FAC, ACLU Sue for Public Access to Kern County Superior Court

[…] provided video or audio feeds of court proceedings. In most cases in Kern County, however, even family members were turned away from courthouses and not given options for remote access. It’s not just a hardship, it’s also unconstitutional. Today, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundations of Southern and Northern California, and the First Amendment […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
June 26, 2020