Riverside sups vote down $50/hr public records fee

The proposal to charge $50/hour to fulfill public records requests was rejected Tuesday by Riverside, CA, county supervisors. County supervisors reject $50 hourly fee for public records | The Desert Sun | MyDesert.com. The fee, which would have offset the labor costs of large, complex document requests, was to be levied on top of already [...]

First Amendment Guru Floyd Abrams on the WikiLeaks Situation [VIDEO]

July 28, 2010 By Wall Street Journal     On Monday morning, we did some looking into the legal issues surrounding WikiLeaks’ decision to unveil some 92,000 previously classified documents on the public, in connection with a handful of media outlets. The bottom line, some First Amendment experts informed us: the government certainly had the [...]

Guam Board of Allied Health Examiners bans recording devices from board meetings

No recording devices or cell phones are allowed at the Government of Guam Board Meetings, according to a recent Guam Board Resolution. Senator Tina Muña Barnes accuses GBAHE of violating the First Amendment. -SMD Pacific News Center News July 12, 2010 By Guam News Guam – Senator Tina Muña Barnes has written a letter to [...]

Investigative reporting center exposes abuses of homeland security spending

The Center for Investigative Reporting has posted records obtained through open government laws to show how each state spent the $30 million allocated since 9/11. The easily accessible package includes analyses of how states wasted money  including audits and investigations of the abuses. -db Center for Investigative Reporting May 3, 2010 By G.W. Schulz Earlier [...]

Open government laws seen as benefit rather than burden

An attorney and newly elected member of the Modesto Schools board sets out the benefits of complying with California’s open meeting laws including the value of hearing a wide range of views from other members of the public bodies and from the public itself. -DB Modesto Bee January 27, 2010 By Ruben Villalobos For more [...]

Gilroy struggles with provisions of open government laws

Centering on a controversial raise for the city administrator, the Gilroy City Council is trying to balance the need for confidentiality in personnel matters and the public’s right to know. -DB The Gilroy Dispatch Aug 24, 2009 By Chris Bone Many councilmembers have renewed their interest in secrecy regarding closed sessions, in part because information about [...]

No transparency in the Oakland shootings of SWAT team sergeants

Troubling questions remain about how such experienced Oakland policemen were killed by a single gunman in March. The police chief is withholding 911 tapes and other documents to flout open government laws and keep the media and others from seeking the truth. -DB The Oakland Tribune Commentary July 26, 2009 By Thomas Peele THE SHOOTING DEATHS [...]