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Advocacy Blog

Criticism Is Not Defamation. It’s Free Speech.

For more than two and a half years, the Merced City School District Board of Education president has opened the public comment period of school board meetings with a warning to commenters. The president announces that "derogatory comments against district employees or others made in a board meeting can be actionable as defamation under […]
- Free Expression
October 28, 2024
Posts

First Amendment Press Rights

FAC Calls on Governor to Sign Bill Strengthening Press Protections at Protests

[…] into law.Read FAC Executive Director David Snyder's op-ed in support. Additional bills that deserve Newsom's signature: AB 48Protections for protesters (PASSED) AB 339Remote participation incertain Brown Act-governed meetings after the pandemic(PASSED) Status of bills FAC opposed in 2021: AB 268Sealing of autopsy records(WITHDRAWN) AB 361Governing public meetings during an emergency(PASSED) You can make your […]
September 30, 2021
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Closed sessions under the Brown Act

[…] Act, it is subject to the Brown Act and can discuss only certain topics during closed session. Whether or not the Brown Act is violated by closed meetings depends upon whether the subject matter was one properly discussed in closed session and whether the pertinent notice on the body's agenda pertaining to such a […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Should I be allowed to access a report in draft form?

March 29, 2012
Posts

FAC Requests John Ortega, Orange School Board President, Retract Statement About Recall Effort

[…] John Ortega, President of the Orange Unified School District (OUSD) Board of Education, asking him to retract a comment he made at the January 18 school board meeting. At that meeting, Ortega, referring to certain flyers related to a recall campaign of two school board members that contained "school photos," said, "That is completely […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
February 6, 2024
Posts

Vote YES on Prop 42 if you value open-government. Vote no if you prefer secrecy.

[…] or county government, then the choice is clear: You should vote for Prop 42. Prop 42 solves a problem that has repeatedly undercut enforcement of California’s open meetings law (the Brown Act) and open records law (the Public Records Act). Because these laws are "mandated" by the Legislature, the state must reimburse local governments […]
May 13, 2014
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Model Letters

[…] Gov't Code Section 54954.1: Any person may request that a copy of the agenda, or a copy of all the documents constituting the agenda packet, of any meeting of a legislative body be mailed to that person. Upon receipt of the written request, the legislative body or its designee shall cause the requested materials […]

June 14, 2009
Posts

FAC Opposes Threats to a Free Press by City of Cypress

[…] Council protesting the City’s veiled threats directed at the Event-News Enterprise, a local news outlet that recently reported the results of two votes from a closed session meeting of council members about an ongoing lawsuit. Contained in item 17 of the agenda for the city council meeting today is the following: "the Event-News Enterprise’s […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
September 25, 2023
Asked and Answered

Councilman is rude to speakers making public comments. What is our legal recourse?

[…] questions about open government, open records, and the First Amendment. We note that the Brown Act requires that the public be afforded the right to speak at meetings where the Brown Act applies. Cal. Gov. Code § 54954.3.If the city council member’s actions are so egregious as to actually deny members of the public […]
- Public Meetings
September 18, 2020
Posts

Press Rights

Our California Legislative Priorities Focus on Police Transparency and Press Protections

[…] in all forms. Read our position letters to see where we stand on bills we are monitoring: FAC supports these bills AB 339: Enhances public access to meetings AB 48: Protecting press and protesters from "less lethal" munitions SB 16: Improves police transparency by expanding the California Public Records Act SB 98: Protecting the […]
April 6, 2021