Morgan Hill mayor denies violating Brown Act

A citizen accused the Morgan Hill mayor of violating California’s open meeting law when the mayor refused to allow him to speak during a recent city council meeting. The mayor said the man couldn’t speak because he did not fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk at the start of the [...]

Los Angeles D.A. says Brown Act effective deterrent

Los Angeles County District Attorney staff members say they enforce the Brown Act aggressively but seek compliance rather punishment and has only had to bring two civil suits to enforce the act in the last eight years. They urge public officials to embrace the act rather than treat it as an obstacle. -DB
Metropolitan News-Enterprise
October 2, 2009
By Kenneth [...]

Open government group pushes for release of Defense contractor ratings

Hopeful that President Barack Obama’s early commitment to transparency is genuine, the FOIA Group, Inc. is asking the Defense Department to allow public access to a Defense Department database that rates contractors. -DB
NextGov
August 14, 2009
By Aliya Sternstein
The Obama administration, committed to becoming the most transparent in history, upheld a Bush-era practice of denying taxpayers access to [...]

California personnel rules block reasonable public disclosure of police misconduct

An editorial in The Monterey County Herald argues that laws restricting access to records about police misconduct do not permit scrutiny of police officials in administrative positions who should not be able to hide behind secrecy provisions. -DB
The Monterey County Herald
Editorial
August 14, 2009
Before it’s over, don’t be surprised if the apparent suspension of Seaside’s police chief, [...]

Law proposed to shed light on state university foundations

University officials claim that a law forcing disclosure financial dealings of nonprofit university foundations serving state institutions would be too costly. Open government advocates say that recent expenditures, illegal or questionable, show the need for disclosure. -DB
Capitol Weekly
August 13, 2009
By Maryam Ali
Free-speech groups are trying to force the state’s public universities to disclose financial relationships worth [...]

Pentagon wants public input on social networking policy

Faced with the arduous task of framing a policy on social media that balances security and the need for troops to communicate with friends and family, the Defense Department is asking the public for their ideas. -DB
NextGov
August 10, 2009
By Bob Brewin
How do you develop a policy for using social media in the Defense Department that balances [...]

Homeland Security wins praise for engaging public in planning

The Homeland Security Department held the first of three online dialogues this week to allow the public to comment on their long-term stratigic plans. -DB
NextGov
July 3, 2009
By Jill R. Aitoro
The Homeland Security Department launched its first of three online dialogues on Monday that ask the public to comment on the department’s long-term strategic plans before they [...]

Public officials not twittering advantageously

A public relations expert says that a scant number of public officials have used Twitter to address their constituencies on substantive issues in a thoughtful way. -DB
MediaShift
Commentary
July 29, 2009
By Mark Hannah
Are high profile public officials using Twitter as a noble tool to bypass the proverbial “mainstream media filter” and communicate directly with constituencies? Or do they [...]

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 of four Oakland police officers [...]