FAC conducts a program of strategic litigation by initiating “test case” lawsuits to resolve key legal issues in a way that maximizes chances for a favorable outcome, with potentially far-reaching effects.
FAC sues Milpitas for access to information about alleged misconduct by city officials A new lawsuit filed by the First Amendment Coalition against the city of Milpitas highlights the growing use of so-called “reverse California Public Records Act” suits to pre-empt the public’s right of access to information about their
A new lawsuit filed by the First Amendment Coalition against Los Angeles highlights local governments’ all-too-common—and illegal—practice of destroying public records. The suit, filed Thursday in Superior Court for Los Angeles County, focuses on documents that went missing when a termed-out council member, Tom LaBonge, left office in 2015. Thousands
By Karl Olson — The big winners of Super Bowl 50 were not just the Denver Broncos, they were San Francisco cops who racked up over $6.3 million in overtime while The City hosted “Super Bowl City.” And the big losers were not just the Carolina Panthers, they were San Francisco
FAC’s latest lawsuit—a Public Records Act suit against Sonoma County—-has ended successfully, with the county disclosing a complete, unredacted copy of a contract to promote tourism in connection with the Super Bowl. In denying PRA requests for the contract submitted by local news media and FAC, the county said the
A few weeks ago we wrote about the thin-skinned mayor of Inglewood who, stung by criticism from a local citizen, went to court to silence him. Oblivious to first amendment protections for free speech, the mayor and his lawyers claimed the critic’s use of clips from videos of city council
FAC has filed an amicus brief in a case testing a local government agency’s power to take back records it has released to a requester under the CPRA. The Newark Unified School District, in releasing documents, mistakenly included records that were subject to the attorney-client privilege. The school district demanded