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Asked and Answered

CPRA

Obtaining Legal Records of a Public Agency

[…] ledger from the finance department with a listing of expenses only with just 3 of over 100 pages showing the case or project information. I sent another letter stating that the information was incomplete. It took the city another month to respond. Now they are saying that the billing statements and invoices are protected […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

Accessing Police Reports on Investigations

You may be able to obtain the information you seek by making a request under the California Public Records Act ("CPRA"). Under the CPRA, records in the possession of public entities are presumed to be public unless one of the Act's enumerated exceptions to disclosure applies. Government Code section 6254(f) sets forth the so-called "law […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Sign-in cards for public comment

[…] item" suggests that comment should be allowed before or during each individual item. Conceivably, a single comment period at the beginning of the meeting could satisfy the letter of the law, but the Act seems to have been interpreted to provide for comment on each item. See, e.g., Chafee v. San Francisco Library Commission, […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Are a city manager’ meetings with his staff covered by the Brown Act?

[…] the public interest served by disclosure of the record." Govt. Code § 6255(a). You can find more information about the Public Records Act, including a sample request letter, on the FAC’s website here. Bryan Cave LLP is general counsel for the First Amendment Coalition and responds to FAC hotline inquiries. In responding to these […]

January 18, 2015
Latest News

Blog

Free the Hewlett-Packard 5!

[…] bloggers who resisted subpoenas from Apple Computer demanding the name of a company insider who leaked corporate documents containing alleged trade secrets. Lawyers for the bloggers argued, correctly in my view, that Apple should first be required to force its employees to submit to polygraph tests---and only after those fail to ID the leaker […]
- Press Freedom
June 2, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

aa-Housing Authority Board of Commissioners and the Brown Act

[…] for closed sessions (items to be discussed must be posted on agenda, requirements for closed sessions must be met, etc). As to your first question, you are correct that in general, public comment must be allowed before or during the Board's consideration of the particular item. However, Brown Act itself does not contain any […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

How Can I Request All Audio and Video of My Arrest?

[…] procedures…or security files compiled by any other state or local police agency, or any investigatory or security files compiled by any other state or local agency for correctional, law enforcement, or licensing purposes." Cal. Gov. Code § 6254(f). The exemption for "investigatory records" applies "when the prospect of enforcement proceedings becomes concrete and definite."Williams […]
- Public Records
August 8, 2020
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Request for documents on Tax Lien Sale denied. Why?

[…] response. Gov’t Code § 6255(b).There is also no requirement that you provide your name, address, or reason for the request. Gov’t Code § 6257.5.There are sample request letters on the First Amendment Coalition website at http://firstamendmentcoalition.org/category/resources/access-to-records/ As you may already know, the Public Records Act provides that public records including "any writing containing information […]

October 6, 2011
Asked and Answered

CPRA Police Records

Denied records of homicide investigation

[…] computer report to extract data." Gov't Code § 6253(c). From a practical perspective, it might be useful to follow up your initial request with a written follow-up letter setting out when you made the initial request and describing the subsequent (in)action of the agency. It might be useful to explicitly note the offer of […]

December 23, 2011
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Is the list of employees taking voluntary buyouts a public document?

[…] writing, and ask that the district explain any grounds for denial of your request. You can find additional information regarding the Public Records Act, including sample request letters, on the FAC's website here: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/category/resources/access-to-records/ Holme Roberts & Owen LLP is general counsel for the First Amendment Coalition and responds to FAC hotline inquiries. In […]

August 27, 2010