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Showing 911 - 920 of 1471 results

Asked and Answered

Newsgathering

Do reporters have to sign in at public schools?

[…] register before going on school grounds, it appears to be directly contrary to California law. Moreover, unlike a court decision, it does not establish a controlling rule for how the law is to be applied. Therefore, the law still provides that reporters are not required to register before going on school grounds.Note, however, that […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

Blog

Despite Transparency Laws, FAC is Still Fighting for Police Records

A San Diego Police Department police dog attacks Marcus Evans immediately after he’s shot with a beanbag round. (Screengrab from video shot by 619 News Media.)
- Government Transparency and Accountability
February 12, 2026
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Are government employee hiring records accessible under the CPRA?

I filed a CPRA request for all documents and notes related to a recent county hiring decision, including interview materials, scoring criteria, and the minimum qualifications used in the selection process. I specifically sought the qualifications of the candidate who was hired and did not request personal information on other applicants. The county responded […]

May 16, 2025
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

Are police notes following an auto accident public records?

If a police officer took notes about an auto accident and wrote down witness statements on a piece of paper, is that paper considered public record? I've requested this document but have been told that the agency doesn't have that document.

March 6, 2025
Posts

First Amendment

FAC Joins Letter to Sacramento Police Over Treatment of Journalists at Protest

[…] individuals, after issuing a dispersal order. The journalists were attempting to leave the scene when they were arrested, according to those reports. Kasler was handcuffed and detained for over an hour before Mayor Steinberg personally intervened to secure his release. As Kasler later recounted ina columnfor theBee, he identified himself as a journalist immediately […]
- Press Freedom
March 18, 2019
Posts

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

[…] the Assembly in August. Police ordinarily have authority, following an arrest, to conduct a search--without a warrant--of the person arrested and materials and containers in his possession-- for example, a wallet, any weapons, or a cigarette pack. SB 914 alters this rule for "portable electronic devices" because of the volume and sensitivity of personal […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 2, 2011
Latest News

Blog

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

[…] Jr. moments before he was shot to death by LAPD officers in South Los Angeles on Saturday is a first step away from the department’s secrecy policy for tapes of fatal shootings. But Beck hasn’t moved far enough. The LAPD and the Los Angeles Police Commission should jettison the strict rules they set up […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
October 6, 2016
Latest News

Blog

Op-ed: California Governor Should Commit to Transparency in Clemency Process

[…] in California are generally prohibited from doing — automatically filing records completely under seal? This is a mystery the First Amendment Coalition has been trying to unravel for more than two years, since our organizationlearned of a secretive docketat our state’s highest court. Records related to executive clemency submitted to the court were being […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
July 7, 2021
Latest News

Blog Cases

Most Wanted Secret Doc: Justice Dept Memo Analyzing Drone Strikes Against Suspected Terrorists

[…] Congress (all of whom were denied access). The memo is also sought in three FOIA lawsuits filed separately by the First Amendment Coalition (the organization I work for) in federal court in San Francisco, and by the New York Times and the ACLU in federal court in Manhattan. The Justice Department claims the very […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
August 27, 2012
Latest News

Blog Cases

For Obama’s Nominee to Head CIA: a Few Questions on Use of Drone Strikes

BY PETER SCHEER---John Brennan, President Obama's nominee for Director of the CIA, has the bad luck of having to testify before Congress just days after publication of a Justice Department "white paper" containing the administration's legal justification for the targeted killing of high-level Al Qaeda members who are also American citizens. The undated and unsigned […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
March 5, 2013