Schwarzenegger wants to halt reimbursement to local governments for open government costs
May 24, 2010 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Access to Meetings, Access to Records, News & Opinion, Sunshine Ordinances
Unable to pay the last $300,000 in a $20 million reimbursement to local governments for the costs of posting agendas and providing copies of documents, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing in his budget that the state no longer require local governments to inform the public but still hold them to providing public access to documents [...]
California State Assembly Speaker bans texting in session
March 9, 2010 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Access to Meetings, Freedom of Speech / Press, News & Opinion
The new California Assembly Speaker has banned text messaging on the assembly floor prompting skepticism from First Amendment advocates that the ban is enforceable or efficacious. -db CivSource Commentary March 9, 2010 By Bailey McCann Last week, when John A. Perez became California’s new Assembly Speaker a point in his opening speech caught our eye [...]
California: Decision in favor of disclosure in kidnapping case adds starch to publics’ right to government records
March 9, 2010 by donal brown
Filed under 1st Amendment News, Access to Records, News & Opinion, Sunshine Ordinances
A Superior Court judge strengthened the Public Records Act by ruling that the press and the public had the right to access government records to answer questions about why parole officers did not check on registered sex offender Philip Garrido who had kidnapped a 12-year-old girl and held her captive for 18 years. -db Contra [...]
