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 [...]

Proposed national broadband access may lack funding

The Federal Communications Commission’s plan for national broadband access has great potential to speed communication and enhance public access to government information and services but faces obstacles in funding and net neutrality. -db
OMB Watch

March 9, 2010
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is gearing up to release its plan for national broadband access on March 17. The [...]

Editorial calls for Placer County District Attorney to enforce state’s open government law

The Auburn Journal argued for tighter enforcement of the Brown Act, California’s open government law, in light of a $l600 dinner meeting in 2008  in Washington D.C. during which three county supervisors lobbied the local congressman. -db
Auburn Journal
Editorial
March 7, 2010

During these tough economic times, government at every level faces media scrutiny. The public has [...]

Turlock school board finds way to defeat intent of state’s open government law

The editor of the Turlock Journal says the local school board did all the right things in listing the agenda in advance, making the meeting accessible to all and allowing ample time for public comment but still managed to trash the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, by deciding the crucial issues of building renovations [...]

Health board accused of violating California open meeting law in holding closed ‘informational’ sessions

The Del Puerto Health Care board claims that conscientious elected officials are discouraged from serving after they were accused of holding two closed meetings without public notice. -db
Patterson Irrigator
March 4, 2010
By Kendall Wright

In spite of attending training sessions since 2006 about ethics and open-meeting laws, a majority of Del Puerto Health Care board members who were [...]

Southern California: Hospital settles open meeting lawsuit in cash settlement

The Tri-City Medical Center settled a lawsuit brought by former hospital executives who alleged that the hospital violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. In agreeing to pay $300,000, the hospital did not admit violating the act. -db
North County Times
February 25, 2010
By Paul Sisson
Tri-City Medical Center has settled a lawsuit brought by a group [...]

Drug cartel chief gets 25 years in secret proceeding

A federal district judge sentenced one of the most feared drug lords to 25 years in prison in a proceeding closed to the public, a rare occurrence for a sentencing phase. The judge offered no explanation for the secrecy. -db

Houston Chronicle
February 24, 2010
By Dane Schiller and Jacquee Petchel
Behind armed guards and locked doors [...]

Citizen committee completes draft of open government law for Berkeley

The Citizen’s Sunshine Review Committee finished its work in February on a sunshine ordinance which was written to encourage compliance with California sunshine laws. -db

The Berkeley Daily Planet
February 25, 2010
By Dean Metzger

Sadly the sun is setting on the printed Berkeley Daily Planet, but happily the sun could rise on open government in Berkeley. After three [...]

San Diego county school board cancels meeting to comply with open meeting law

The Grossmont Union High School District cancelled a special meeting to consider a threatened lawsuit after the media were not given adequate notice of the meeting. -db
East County Magazine
February 23, 2010
CAJON, Calif. – In response to a request by East County Magazine, the Grossmont Union High School District has announced cancellation of tonight’s special meeting. [...]

Panelists praise government agencies for open government initiatives

At an event sponsored by Government Executive, panelists said that there were some promising practices in the push for government transparency including expanded employee blogging, expanded use of the social media and well-attended online forums. -db

NextGov
February 24, 2010
By Emily Long
Agencies continue to innovate in response to the Obama administration’s open government initiatives, said panelists [...]

Federal government agencies: Transparency watch group assesses open data web pages

OMB Watch designated “leaders and laggards” after it conducted a study of government web pages designed to give citizens access to crucial information. -db
OMB Watch
February 23, 2010
Complying with requirements of the Open Government Directive (OGD), federal agencies launched transparency pages on their websites Feb. 6. The content and functionality of the pages varied from non-compliant [...]

San Diego planning task force accused of violating California’s open government law

Community members involved in planning for San Diego have expressed concerns about an advisory committee with a large representation of builders and developers. They claim the committee’s meetings were not adequately publicized. -db
San Diego Uptown News
February 20, 2010
By David Harvey

At the San Diego City Council’s Land Use and Housing (LU&H) committee meeting on Feb. 3, [...]

White House tech officer challenges Tea Party activists to join transparency movement

The White House technology officer has challenged Republicans and Tea Party activists to a competition to establish greater transparency in government. -db

The Hill
February 22, 2010
By Kim Hart
In an ironic twist, the White House is inviting the Tea Party movement to challenge it on government transparency.
White House Chief Technology Officer Andrew McLaughlin said Republicans and [...]

Transparency: Environmental Protection Agency launches model web site

Transparency activists are expressing their approval of the EPA’s new site, the Rulemaking Gateway, that provides information about regulatory actions such as the control of greenhouse gas emissions in large vehicles. -db

NextGov
February 19, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein

As more agencies deploy online score cards that publicly chart the progress of specific missions, the Environmental Protection Agency’s new [...]

Open meetings a work in progress in Victorville

An open government activist says there are still gross violations of the state’s open government law, the Brown Act, after the City Council had taken steps to conduct business in a more open manner. -db
Victorville Daily Press
February 15, 2010
By Brooke Edwards
VICTORVILLE, Calif. – After continued rumblings from citizens and the Daily Press about Victorville improperly using [...]

TV cable broadcasts of city council meeting in Norwalk censored

During broadcasts of its meetings on a government access cable channel, the Norwalk City Council blacks out public comments. Legal experts says the practice is legal but express dismay that the council feels it’s necessary to censor the public. -db
The Los Angeles Times
February 20, 2010
By Jeff Gottlieb
Like most towns, Norwalk broadcasts its City Council meetings [...]

Half Moon Bay officials plan private meeting to discuss safety issues of surfing contest

Half Moon Bay public safety agencies are meeting to air concerns about safety issues concerning the Mavericks Surf Contest but don’t want to open it to the public in the interests of encouraging an open and frank discussion. The editor of the Half Moon Bay Review argues that to close the meeting is not only [...]

Eureka school board admits to violating open meeting law in setting superintendent’s salary in 2008

The Eureka Union School Board admitted  they failed to report changes in the superintendent’s salary in open public session before approving them in a closed meeting. They also failed to make the original contract available to the public 72 hours before the meeting. -db
The Press Tribune
February 10, 2010
By Megan Wood
The Eureka Union School Board admitted [...]

UC Santa Barbara student newspaper staff asks for law requiring transparency in UC student government

Blocked from reporting on student government spending decisions and irresponsible acts at UC Santa Barbara, the student newspaper staff wrote a letter to California state officials and the legislature asking for a law to hold UC student governments to open government standards. -db
Daily Nexus
February 9, 2010
By Nexus Staff
To Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, UC President Mark Yudof, [...]

Amador County: Water agency accused of open meeting violations

A citizens group is calling for an investigation of the Amador Water Agency board for possible Brown Act violations when they held private conferences on board elections. -db

Ledger Dispatch
February 5, 2010
By Matthew Hedger

A local citizens group is asking the Amador Water Agency to seek legal counsel and investigate whether some directors violated provisions of the Brown [...]

Crescent City: Town government bodies may be stretching open meeting laws

A reporter for the Daily Triplicate writes that while “two-by-two” meetings held by the City Council and Harbor Commission are legal since they do not constitute a quorum, the practice may not realize the greatest potential for open government. -db

The Daily Triplicate
Commentary
February 01, 2010
By Kurt Madar

Non-public events are being used by our public officials. Del [...]

Yuba City: Action by community college trustees provokes dispute over open meeting violation

Some contend that a pay raise for the Yuba Community College district chancellor was made without observing California’s Brown Act. Today’s special meeting to reconsider the raise should remedy the problem. -db
Appeal-Democrat
February 3, 2010
By Ryan McCarthy
A special meeting today for trustees to consider rescinding the pay raise for Nicki Harrington, chancellor of the Yuba Community [...]

Media legal group joins freedom of information organization to support online reporters

The Online Media Legal Network of the Citizen Media Law Project is joining with the National Freedom of Information Coalition to help reporters with government information requests and FOIA lawsuits. -db
Citizens Media Law Project
Press Release
February 1, 2010
The Citizen Media Law Project is pleased to announce that its Online Media Legal Network (OMLN) is partnering [...]

Orange County: Investigation uncovers alleged open government violations by school district

A PublicCEO reporter alleges that the Garden Grove Unified School District Board of Trustees has committed serious violations of California’s open government law, the Brown Act. -db
PublicCEO
Commentary
February 2, 2010
By Chris Prevatt

One of the most important duties for elected officials to perform is to be open and honest about their actions and to maintain their compliance [...]

California’s central valley: Editorial cites disdain for Brown Act in call for action against three Highson city councilmen

An editorial in The Modesto Bee describes a mugging of the Brown Act and a general lack of civil behavior in suggesting that officials look at bringing criminal charges against three councilmen and that the public consider a recall. -db

The Modesto Bee

Editorial
January 31, 2010
Just when we thought city politics in Hughson couldn’t get any worse, [...]

Tulare County: Supervisors ‘team-building’ luncheons under scrutiny for possible open government violations

The Tulare County Board of Supervisors deny talking about county business when they meet for lunch paid for by the county, but since the meetings are not open to the public, questions remain about the purpose of the meetings and the content of the conversations. -db

Visalia Times-Delta
Tulare Advance-Register
February 1, 2010
By Valerie Gibbons
Members of the [...]

Obama favors disclosing contacts between lobbyists with administration or Congress

The Electronic Frontier Foundation hails President Barack Obama’s statement in the State of the Union address about disclosing lobbyist contacts. The Obama administration has been fighting FOIA requests seeking identities of lobbyists working the Department of Justice and Director of National Intelligence. -db

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Commentary
January 28, 2010
By Kurt Opsahl

In yesterday’s State of the Union address, [...]

Under Obama federal agencies still fighting record requests

The Washington Post reports that federal agencies are still balking at releasing records to the public, claiming that it would interfere with internal decision-making or compromise national security. In Obama’s first year, the number of Freedom of  Information Act lawsuits filed exceeds the number filed in each of Bush’s last two years. -DB
The Washington Post
January [...]

Santa Barbara university student council suddenly closes meeting

The Associated Students Legislative Council at the University of California, Santa Barbara closed a part of their Wednesday night meeting without prior notice or disclosing before hand their reasons prompting complaints that the state’s open government laws had been violated. -DB
Daily Nexus
January 28, 2010
By Elliott Rosenfeld and Mackenzie Weinger
The Associated Students Legislative Council barred all members [...]

Yuba City: Questions arise about possible open government violation in proposed raise for community college chancellor

The Yuba Community College District board may have violated California’s Brown Act which requires the board to hold discussions about salary increases in open session. -DB
Daily Democrat
Commentary
January 28, 2010
By Erin Tracy

A decision to approve a salary hike for the Yuba Community College District chancellor might be considered insult to injury for those impacted by budget cuts, [...]

Ukiah: Supervisors consider appointing ad-hoc committee on retiree health insurance

The County Board of Supervisors is considering appointing an ad-hoc committee to consider ways to preserve health benefits for retirees but some supervisors think the issue is too important to discuss  behind closed doors. -DB

The Ukiah Daily Journal
January 27, 2010
By Tiffany Revelle
Conflict about forming an ad-hoc committee to study available choices was the sticking [...]

Pleasant Hill: Citizens allege open government violations in approval of drug rehab center

A citizens group has challenged the Pleasant Hill City Council after they approved a drug rehabilitation center this week, alleging that the city restricted public comment at a crucial Planning Commission meeting and provided improper notice of a subsequent hearing. -DB
Contra Costa Times
January 26, 2010
By Lisa P. White

PLEASANT HILL, Calif. — Although the City Council [...]

Obama and transparency: In the midst of major gains, some managers resist open government initiatives

For a multitude of reasons, not every official is aggressively embracing President Barack Obama’s open government directives. -DB
NextGov
Commentary
January 21, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein

When he took office, President Obama said he wanted agencies to leverage new technologies to open government.

One year after the president announced an initiative to open the government, agency leaders have demonstrated a strong [...]

California’s central valley: Newspaper advises citizens on effective participation in local government

The Modesto Bee has published an editorial advising their readers of their rights to access meetings under the state’s open government law and how to be effective in making their voice heard. -DB
The Modesto Bee
Editorial
January 24, 2010
A prevailing theme on this page is that the public’s business needs to be done in public, every time, [...]

Campaign finance: Transparency needed more than ever as Supreme Court unleashes special interest money

The executive director of the Sunlight Foundation says that the Supreme Court’s decision striking down key provisions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law will unleash a flood of money in the political arena making it even more likely money will influence executive and legislative decisions. -DB

Sunlight Foundation
Opinion
January 21, 2010
By Ellen Miller

The ramifications of today’s Supreme [...]

Foundation questions Obama administration openness about legal procedures for obtaining phone records

A Electronic Freedom Foundation senior attorney says a recent government report posits a new legal theory affirming the FBI’s right to obtain phone records without going through a legal process but does not provide the basis for the theory or even the statutory section number the FBI uses. -DB

Electronic Freedom Foundation
Commentary
January 21, 2010
By Kurt Opsahl

Today, [...]

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 [...]

Lobbyists not registering to avoid stricter rules

In a reaction to strict new Congressional regulations, in increasing numbers, advocates are not registering as lobbyists making it harder to track the effect of campaign contributions and meetings with public officials. -DB

The New York Times

January 18, 2010
By David D. Kirkpatrick
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ellen Miller, co-founder of the Sunlight Foundation, has spent years arguing for rules [...]

Internet raises stakes in cases pitting public disclosure against right to privacy

In Doe v. Reed, the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh the right to privacy under the First Amendment’s protection of freedom of speech and association against the need for open government and transparency in public elections. -DB
First Amendment Center
Commentary
January 19, 2010
By Tony Mauro
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court has agreed to review a case [...]

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