Leading gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown need to show voters, by their own actions, that they are committed to transparency in government. Promises won’t cut it.

BY PETER SCHEER—As California voters begin the process of selecting the next  Governor of the ungovernable Golden State, the leading candidates owe them a demonstration of their commitment to government transparency.
All politicians are supportive of open-government “in principle;”  the question is whether they are committed in practice. The best test for that is a candidate’s [...]

Tulare County: County supervisors’ dinners out may have also violated open meeting law

Records requested under the California Public Records Act show that the five supervisors plus the county administrative officer are running up excessive expense accounts and indicated that the supervisors may have violated California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act, by dining often with a voting majority. -db
Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare Advance-Register
Editorial
February 4, 2010

San Jose wants to restrict use of private e-mails to discuss official business

San Jose is proposing a disclosure policy to make sure its public officials do not use such devices as iPhones and BlackBerrys to skirt open government laws. -DB

San Jose Mercury News
January 21, 2010
By John Woolfolk

With iPhones and BlackBerrys becoming must-have accessories, San Jose is poised to approve a groundbreaking disclosure policy that would ensure elected [...]

California state senator asks state university to curb donor influence on curriculum

Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco has asked the administration of Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo to keep wealthy donors from influencing curriculum. The request came after the Harris Ranch Beef Company threatened to withhold a half million dollar contribution unless the university scuttled a certain guest lecture. -DB
California State Senate Leland Yee, Ph.D
Press Release
January [...]

Associated Press uncovers failure of California lawmakers to report gifts

The Associated Press used the California Public Records Act to obtain documents that show that California legislators have received gifts that they failed to report, some from lobbyists and industries with much to gain from close ties to lawmakers. -DB
The San Francisco Chronicle
January 15, 2010
By Judy Lin

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker and his wife [...]

Online California state records vanishing at alarming rate

With almost 90 percent of California state publications online with no print counterpart, it is clear that any of these records are disappearing regularly, and there is no legal requirement for the executive branch of state government to preserve the information. -DB
Cal Watchdog
Commentary
January 14, 2010
By Anthony Pignataro

If there’s one thing our state government does exceptionally [...]

Citizen sets deadline for school district in delivering overdue salary records

Under California law, government agencies have ten days to fulfill public information requests, but as of last week, in response to a citizen’s inquiry, the Glendale Unified School District has not supplied full records of employees who make more than $100,000. -DB
Glendale News Press
November 23, 2009
By Max Zimbert

GLENDALE — Brian Ellis’ months-long quest for a [...]

USC journalism students fighting for death records for swine flu

Many California county health officials are discounting arguments that it is in the public interest to know who died from swine flu and refusing to release the records to journalism students from University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism. In denying the requests, officials cite privacy issues and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability [...]

Newspaper sues community college district for public records

The Contra Costa times is suing the Peralta Community College District under the California Public Records Act for records relating to a lucrative no-bid contract awarded to a developer, an associate of the district chancellor. The newspaper is also seeking records of employees punished for allegedly releasing information about the chancellor’s ties to the developer. [...]

Governor Schwarzenegger vetoes open government, free speech bills

Facing a midnight deadline to sign or veto hundreds of bills, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger relented on threats to impose a mass veto over lack of progress on overhauling the state’s water system and signed at least 168 of the bills into law, but two open government and free speech bills were not among the 168. [...]

Governor’s political game threatens key open government/free speech bills

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is holding over 700 bills hostage to gain approval of a water deal with the legislature. Among the 700 bills are four bills that advance the cause of open government and freedom of speech. -DB
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Commentary
October 7, 2009
With the Sunday deadline fast approaching, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed only [...]

Citizen sues San Francisco Ethics Commission: Alleges commission withheld public records

Allen Grossman, an open government advocate, has filed suit in San Francisco, charging that the Ethics Commission has suppressed public records regarding their failure to enforce violations of state and local open government laws. -DB
Press Release
October 6, 2009
In a lawsuit filed Monday in the San Francisco Superior Court, Open Government advocate Allen
Grossman charges that the Ethics [...]

First Amendment advocates criticize draft of new rules granting access to judicial records

Senate Bill X4 13 required that the California Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) adopt new policies to provide public access to nonadjudicative court records, budget and management information. A 19-page draft has now been released for public comment from the present until October 29. So far First Amendment defenders say there should be no [...]

Community college considers firing employee for providing information under public records act

The Peralta Community College district may fire an executive assistant to the vice chancellor over information the assistant is alleged to have provided to the press about payments in a non-bid contract to the chancellor’s longtime business partner. The newspaper involved denied receiving any information. -DB
Contra Costa Times
September 28, 2009
By Matt Krupnick and Thomas Peele
Peralta [...]

Stanislaus retirement board denies requests for pension amounts

The Stanislaus County Employees’ Retirement Association has denied a request under the California Public Records Act for the names of retirees with annual pensions over $100,000. -DB
The Modesto Bee
August 10, 2009
By Ken Carlson
The Stanislaus County Employees’ Retirement Association has refused to release records about public service employees receiving the most lucrative pensions.
The retirement board, in a [...]

Governor signs FAC-sponsored access bill

With encouragement from the California First Amendment Coalition, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 786 that limits the ability of state and local governmental agencies to win fee awards from citizens bringing lawsuits under the state’s open government laws -DB
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law SB 768 on August 6 a measure vital to maintaining the ability [...]

California governor signs bill protecting citizens seeking open government

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger singed a bill limiting the ability of state and local public agencies to collect attorney’s fees under the anti-SLAPP law. -DB
California Newspaper Publishers Association
August 7, 2009
A barrier to citizen enforcement of the state’s public records and open meeting laws was eliminated yesterday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed SB 786 by Sen. LelandYee (D-San [...]