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Latest News

Bench-Bar-Media Committee proposals for greater media access

[…] would allow greater transparency in the process, the report says. The committee acknowledges, however, that there is a balancing act between the public’s desire to use personal electronic devices while in court and the court’s duty to protect the integrity of proceedings, as new technological devices continue to develop. Gag Orders The report recommends […]

September 23, 2010
Asked and Answered

CPRA

I was stopped from taking photos of court records with my phone to save costs. What can I do?

[…] However, there is specific information we also need but must pull the Superior Court case file to obtain such as: age, race, location, etc. These documents are electronic so we are unable to use our scanner to make copies without incurring costs. The only other way of obtaining these items is by paying per […]

February 8, 2021
Asked and Answered

CPRA

The CPRA and the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance

[…] to use other means to contact like the Florida Gov Website footer which says: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Electronic Filing of Campaign Disclosure Data

As you may know, under the California Public Records Act ("PRA"), Govt. Code section 6250 et seq., records in the possession of state or local public agencies are presumed to be public unless an exemption to disclosure applies. Here, because the City discloses the street addresses at issue when a direct request is made, […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Can I access data on corporations audited by the state?

[…] audited and the time period of each audit" rather than just asking "Which corporations were audited and when?" That being said, if the records are in an electronic format such as a database, the Public Records act does require that the requested information be compiled and extracted from the electronic resource. Govt. Code section […]

July 15, 2013
Latest News

Blog Cases

Victory: California Appeal Court Orders Records Unsealed

[…] issued an important opinion affirming the public's right of access to court records. The Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles sided with FAC and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, finding that records in a civil case had been improperly hidden from the public. A unanimous three-judge panel cited the common law and constitutional […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Records
April 15, 2020
Asked and Answered

CPRA

How does the CPRA deal with emails between elected officials

Can email sent by a California Special District elected official to other directors or the district office concerning district business be subject to examination using the Public Records Act? Would it make a difference if he used his personal computer to send an email to another elected official?

August 21, 2010
Asked and Answered

Newsgathering

Recording a person without their knowledge

[…] have been completely private from the participants" in attendance. Sanders v. ABC, 20 Cal. 4th 907, 911, 915 (1999) ("a person may reasonably expect privacy against the electronic recording of a communication even though he or she had no reasonable expectation as to confidentiality of the communication's contents"). It is unclear whether the fact […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

Press Release

California Supreme Court Stops Cities From Charging Steep Fees for Video Redactions

The California Supreme Court today issued an opinion preventing government agencies from charging the public for editing and compiling police body camera footage and other electronic records before the records are released. The First Amendment Coalition and the California News Publishers Association filed an amicus brief in the case, National Lawyers Guild v. City of […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Records
May 28, 2020
Posts

Press Rights

Governor Brown decides fate of open-government bills

[…] to prisoners that has been passed by the legislature only to be vetoed by the governor. (Actually, four governors). SB 1002: Bill to require agencies to provide electronic records in an open, searchable format. Governor Brown vetoed this bill, introduced by Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). The bill’s original intent was to require agencies to […]
October 12, 2012