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Showing 111 - 120 of 125 results

  • Latest News

    FAC News Press Release

    Announcing FAC’s 2014 Free Speech & Open Government Award Winners

    […] some of the best practices of journalism, building their database by hand when the state Department of Social Services couldn't muster the technology to make records available electronically, and providing the public with original source documents as well as CARR's facility-by-facility 10-year summaries. There were many outstanding nominees--individuals and groups--whose honorable work is deserving […]

    December 2, 2014

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA

    CPRA request won’t be fulfilled unless we show documents we’ve already received

    […] officials’ private email or text accounts, rather than accounts belonging to the government. Unfortunately, an appellate court overturned the lower court’s ruling, finding that messages sent from private electronic devices are not subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act.  According to the California Supreme Court's website, the case has now been fully briefed (as of […]

    June 16, 2016

  • Latest News

    Blog Cases

    Big victory in CA Supreme Court case on public access to government data

    In a major victory for open government and data access, the California Supreme Court yesterday ruled that Orange County cannot restrict access to its electronic mapping data--a so-called "basemap." The Court decided unanimously that the county basemap is a public record under the Public Records Act, which means that it must be made available […]

    July 10, 2013

  • Asked and Answered

    First Amendment

    Ok for court reporter to transcribe mayor’s speech at private-sector event?

    […] "content neutral" -- i.e., administered without regard for the content at issue (in this case, the memorialization of the mayor's comments) -- restrictions such as prohibiting any electronic recording devices may be permissible. The inquiry is fairly fact specific, so it is difficult to give you a concrete answer in the abstract. That said, perhaps […]

    September 14, 2016

  • Pages

    Privacy Policy

    […] by others. This means that anyone with access to such information can potentially use it for any purpose, including sending unsolicited communications. 9. Security We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect the confidentiality and security of information transmitted to us. However, no data transmission over the Internet or other network can be […]

    May 30, 2024

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    What recourse do individuals with disabilities have to access land use proposals during COVID-19?

    […] orders N-25-20 and N-29-20, which temporarily suspended any provision of state or local law preventing a local legislative body from holding public meetings by telephone or other electronic means. Order N-29-20 further requires local legislative bodies holding meetings electronically to "implement a procedure for receiving and swiftly resolving requests for reasonable modification or accommodation […]

    July 24, 2020

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    COVID-19 Prohibition On Public Gatherings Prevented Me From Speaking to the Public

    […] for a public meeting" during the COVID-19 crisis, so long as the public is provided some means of observing and commenting upon the proceedings "telephonically or otherwise electronically." The Executive Order did not provide local legislative bodies themselves the authority to block entry to a building in which a meeting was taking place, but […]

    January 20, 2021

  • Latest News

    Cases Press Release

    FAC Files Freedom of Information Lawsuit Against DOGE

    […] government," said FAC Executive Director David Snyder. "The public deserves — and FAC is demanding — answers." On February 25, FAC submitted a FOIA request seeking all electronic communications between Musk and DOGE staff since January 20. DOGE never responded to the request, as required by law. Today’s lawsuit asks a court to order […]

    March 28, 2025

  • Handbooks

    FOIA: Sample Request Letter

    For more information on how to make a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request and where to send your request. You might also find additional help submitting a FOIA request at the website of FAC’S FOIA focused, non-profit partner, MuckRock. FOIA: Your Right to Federal Records (2011) Where to send a FOIA request MuckRock

    September 8, 2024

  • Latest News

    Blog

    NSA surveillance case reflects a growing distrust in the federal judiciary

    […] of NSA. Filed in a special secure facility in Washington, DC, these super-classified documents were transported under armed guard to California for viewing by Judge Walker. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the lawyers for the plaintiffs, had objected to Walker's reviewing this evidence because they worried the judge could not help but be swayed by […]

    June 2, 2009