Central valley: Hughson seats new city council members after finding of Brown Act violations

The small town of Hughson swore in three new city council members with feelings of elation and renewal after recalling three former council members that the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury found had violated California’s open meeting law, Hughson’s Municipal Code and Fair Political Practices Regulations and Code. -db
Turlock Journal
August 31, 2010
By Maegan Martens
After eight [...]

Open-meeting violation alleged over Pomona schools parcel tax proposal

A citizen accused the Pomona Unified School District board of violating California’s open meeting law by holding discussions in closed sessions about a parcel tax proposed for the November ballot. The board’s attorney says the board acted properly in that all votes concerning the parcel tax were conducted in public. -db
Contra Costa Times
August 31, 2010
By [...]

Gawker opens site to probe WikiLeaks

Citing Wikileaks secretive mode of operation, Gawker announced a new website, Wikileakileaks.org, to provide the public details of the organization’s operation. -db
ValleyWag
Commentary
August 31, 2010
Secret-sharing website Wikileaks.org’s tagline is “We open governments.” But the organization itself is about as open as North Korea. That’s why we’ve launched Wikileakileaks.org: your source for Wikileaks-related secrets, documents and rumors!
Wikileaks [...]

Los Angeles County supervisors seek doctor peer review records

L.A. County supervisors are seeking doctors’ peer review documents to monitor patient safety and improve their ability to settle malpractice claims. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 28, 2010
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske
In a fight that could have wide-ranging implications, Los Angeles County supervisors are pushing to see confidential medical records used by county doctors to evaluate their peers to [...]

Sunnyvale: Family affair in school board race prompts concerns about open meeting violations

Three members from the Goldman family are running for the Fremont Union High School District board in a contest for three open seats as observers expressed some skepticism about whether, if all three are elected, they could successfully observe California’s open meeting law and avoid discussing school district business around the breakfast table. -db
San [...]

Driver’s union claims transit authority violated California open meeting law

A San Bernardino County teamster’s union has charged the Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority with failing to convene in open session before adjourning to closed session, a violation of the state’s open meeting law, the Brown Act. -db
Big Bear Grizzly
August 27, 2010
By Arrissa Owen Turner
Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority violated the Ralph M. Brown [...]

Federal appeals court orders disclosure of banks likely to have failed without bailout

The full U.S. Court of Appeals in New York refused to review a decision by the court’s three-judge panel requiring the Federal Reserve Board to identify banks that may have failed without the federal bailout. -db
Bloomberg News
August 23, 2010
Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) — An appeals court refused to reconsider a decision compelling the Federal Reserve Board [...]

Government transparency: Single pool of storage could save money and allow better access

Deluged by data, the federal government looks to virtualized storage to create a single pool of storage capacity controlled from a central console making it easier to retrieve data. -db
NextGov
August 23, 2010
By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
The federal government is awash in data. And it’s expanding at rates faster than chief information officers can count. No [...]

Pelosi calls for transparency in Ground Zero mosque dispute

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she favored disclosure for the groups funding opposition to the mosque planned for Ground Zero as well as who is funding the construction of the Islamic center. -db
Washington Post
Commentary
August 18, 2010
By Greg Sargent
Nancy Pelosi kicked off a bit of controversy on the right this morning when the news broke [...]

Federal transparency: Changes in administration raise questions

Transparency advocates are wondering if recent changes in Obama administration management mean that Obama is stepping back from his commitment to open government. -db
NextGov
August 16, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
As the Obama administration gently pushes agencies to follow their transparency plans, recent changes in key management positions at the White House have watchdog groups concerned the open government [...]

Open government: Pasadena creates secret review boards to advise police chief

Legal experts say that California’s open meetings law does not allow cities to create secret advisory committees not open to the public. -db
Pasadena Star-News
August 14, 2010
By Brenda Gazzar
PASADENA – Open government advocates said city officials should release the names of members of two secret review boards that advise the police chief.
At least one expert [...]

Los Angeles County investigates improper release of information on child death and neglect cases

Los Angeles County have asked departments to investigate inappropriate disclosure of child welfare information, but in making the request in a closed meeting, according to legal experts, have violated the California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 15, 2010
By Lisa Girion
Los Angeles County officials are investigating information released regarding a [...]

Muslim civil liberties group files suit to force police to release information on raid resulting in cleric’s death

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is seeking details about a raid led by the FBI on a Muslim cleric suspected of running a criminal gang. The cleric was killed by agents. -db
Wall Street Journal
August 9,2010
By Alex P. Kellogg
DETROIT—A leading Muslim advocacy group is accusing local and state law-enforcement agencies of improperly withholding [...]

Obama administration asks allies to drop hammer on WikiLeaks

The Obama administration has asked Britain, Germany, Australia, and other countries to consider bringing criminal charges against the WikiLeaks founder for providing the media with classified documents on the Afghan war. -db
The Daily Beast
August 10, 2010
By Philip Shenon
The Obama administration is pressing Britain, Germany, Australia, and other allied Western governments to consider opening [...]

Texas cities’ online checkbooks let residents see where tax dollars are going

Cities across Texas are starting to open their books to the public by posting their check registers online.
The Dallas Morning News
August 9, 2010
By Ian McCann
Open government advocates applaud the trend, though they note that in many cases the [...]

San Diego County: Advisory groups in unincorporated areas must comply with California open meeting laws

A California state agency has informed San Diego County that its advisory group members in unincorporated areas were public officials and must comply with state laws governing officials including open meetings laws. The County has established a number of advisory groups to tap local knowledge in setting policies.-db
Ramona Sentinel
August 9, 2010
By Karen Brainard
San Diego County [...]

Bauer to assume ethics, transparency responsibilities

White House Counsel Robert Bauer will assume responsibilities for lobbying, transparency, government reform and a host of other government operations issues once White House ethics adviser Norman Eisen departs for his new role as ambassador to the Czech Republic, senior administration officials confirmed Friday.
The Washington Post
August 6, 2010
By Ed O’Keefe

The move [...]

Performance reviews of federal contractors go online

A new law requires the Office of Management and Budget to publish contractor integrity information online. -db
NextGov
August 4, 2010
By Aliya Sternstein
A bill President Obama recently signed requires the Office of Management and Budget to disclose on a public website contractor integrity information housed in a new vendor performance database, reversing a recent [...]

Conn. governor vetoes bill to fix campaign-finance law

Gov. M. Jodi Rell followed through Aug. 2 with her promise to veto a bill that attempts to fix Connecticut’s campaign-finance law after a federal appeals court found parts of it unconstitutional.
News
August 4, 2010
By The Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. —The Republican governor issued her veto on the same the day the [...]

Public seeks access to Oceano Dunes pollution reduction committees

The Air Pollution Control District Board established two committees to develop a plan for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area but said according to the county counsel, the committee meetings would be closed to the public as they worked out how to reduce emissions contributing to pollution in the area. -db
New Times
July 28, [...]

11th Circuit blocks extra funds for Fla. governor hopeful

A federal appeals court’s decision late last week effectively blocked Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum from receiving matching public funds for every dollar beyond $24.9 million spent by his self-financed opponent.
News
August 2, 2010
By The Associated Press
ATLANTA —The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on [...]

Texas cities can’t challenge state’s open-meetings law

Four Texas cities cannot join more than a dozen elected officials in a lawsuit aimed at overturning the Texas Open Meetings Act, a federal judge ruled yesterday.
July 29, 2010
By The Associated Press
PECOS, Texas —U.S. District Judge Robert Junell said the cities of Alpine, Pflugerville, Rockport and Wichita Falls cannot sue Texas [...]

Chemical security bills lack provisions for transparency

Two chemical facility security bills introduced in the U.S. senate are designed to reduce the consequences of accident or attack on chemical plants and drinking water facilities but fail to provide for accountability and transparency to ensure safety says OMB Watch. -db
Chemical security bills lack provisions for transparency
OMB Watch
Commentary
July 27, 2010
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) has [...]

Local judge blocks law journal from publishing information obtained legally

A District of Columbia Superior Court judge switched course and ruled the National Law Journal could not publish information in a fee dispute even after it obtained the information through public court documents before the judge decided to seal them. -db
Local judge blocks law journal from publishing information obtained legally
http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=11501
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of [...]

Alameda: Councilwoman asks DA to close investigation of alleged open meeting violation

Through her attorney, an Alameda city councilwoman has asked the Alameda County District Attorney to drop its inquiry into her alleged leaks of confidential information in violation of California’s open meeting law. -db
Alameda: Attorney for councilwoman asks DA to close investigation of alleged open meeting violation
The Island
July 27, 2910
By Michele Ellson
City Councilwoman Lena Tam’s attorney [...]

Southern California: Alleged Brown Act violation by school district during teleconferencing

The Orange Unified School District board of trustees has allegedly violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act in failing to observe the rules governing teleconferencing votes. According to the act, all votes during teleconference must be rollcall votes. -db
Greater Orange News Service
July 26, 2010
With Trustee Kim Nichols participating in the June 10, 2010 OUSD [...]

Public agency pensions: Editorial reaffirms public’s right-to-know

An editorial in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat calls for the Sonoma County employee association to release information on pensioners receiving over $100,000 a year. In a recent case in Sacramento County, a judge ruled that under California’s Brown Act Sacramento County could not keep pension information from the public. -db
Pubilc agency pensions: Editorial reaffirms [...]

WikiLeaks claims benefits to releasing classified Afghan war documents

While the Obama administration downplays the importance of the classified field reports on the Afghanistan war released by  WikiLeaks July 25, WikiLeaks founder Julian Asange says the reports will increase transparency on the war and strengthen democracy and governance. -db
WikiLeaks claims release of classified Afghan war documents beneficial
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/world/26wiki.html
The New York Times
July 25, 2010
By Eric Schmitt
WikiLeaks.org, [...]

British Petroleum caught doctoring oil spill photos

BP admits it ‘Photoshopped’ official images as oil spill ‘cut and paste’ row escalates
British Petroleum caught doctoring oil spill photos
To try to recoup some vestige of public confidence, BP has ordered their staff to stop photoshopping images of the gulf of Mexico oil spill. db
London Telegraph
July 22, 2010
By Andrew Hough
BP has ordered staff to stop [...]

Tulare supervisors admit open meeting law violations in holding lunch meetings

In a court filing, the Tulare County supervisors admitted violating California’s open meetings law in holding regular lunch meetings they had earlier claimed were only to bolster their esprit de corp.
Tulare supervisors admit open meeting law violations in  holding lunch meetings
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100721/NEWS01/7210323/Court-filing-Tulare-County-Board-of-Supervisors-admitted-violations-to-open-meetings-law
Visalia Times-Deta
July 21, 2010
By Valerie Gibbons
A new court filing argues that Tulare County supervisors admitted [...]

Southern California: Azusa quarry challenged on open meetings issue

Pasadena Star-News
Duarte intends to make courts decide the fate of Azusa Rock Quarry
By Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/23/2010 07:15:06 PM PDT
DUARTE – The city is going to take legal action against Azusa over a recently approved plan to
mine part of the Azusa Rock Quarry near Duarte’s border.
City Council members at their meeting Thursday voted unanimously [...]

Homeland Security sent freedom of information requests through political filter

For at least a year, the Homeland Security Department detoured requests for federal records to senior political advisers for highly unusual scrutiny, probing for information about the requesters and delaying disclosures deemed too politically sensitive, according to nearly 1,000 pages of internal e-mails obtained by The Associated Press.
AP
July 21, 2010
By Ted Bridis
WASHINGTON (AP) — The department [...]

Judge rejects ACLU’s request for information on detainees

A federal judge in New York has decided that he lacks the authority to order the government to disclose information regarding the treatment of Sept. 11 detainees – even if the government’s actions were unlawful.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
July 20, 2010
By Brian Westley
“Courts are not invested with the competence to second-guess the [...]

Agency mulling whether to release county pension pay data

Bakersfield.com
July 15, 2010
By James Burger
The Kern County Employees’ Retirement Association, the agency that invests taxpayer money to fund county employee pensions, has kept the size of each member’s retirement check a secret for years.
But the legal argument KCERA lawyers say demands secrecy is crumbling in courts across California, forcing them to choose between angering retirees [...]

Washington Technology: House passes bill to reduce improper payments

The House passed legislation to regulate accounting practices and identify possible government fraud. -SMD
Washington Technology
July 15, 2010
By Matthew Weigelt
With an eye on the roughly $110 billion in inproper payments agency made in fiscal 2009, the House today passed legislation to toughen federal accounting practices.
The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act (S. 1508), which passed the Senate June 23, would [...]

Judge orders Sacramento to release pension details

A judge has ordered Sacramento County’s retirement system to make its pension information public.
In a ruling this week, Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Allen Sumner decided the names of retirees and how much they receive should be released.
The lawsuit was brought against the Sacramento County Employee’s Retirement System by The Sacramento Bee and First Amendment [...]

Details of D.C. tech office investigation released

The District’s technology office is overly reliant on contractors, too eager to award jobs to under-qualified local businesses and not nearly aggressive enough in its monitoring of their work, setting up a system that is easily defrauded and wastes piles of taxpayer dollars, a new report finds.
The D.C. Council’s investigation of procurement practices at 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 Attorney General John Weisenberger seeking [...]

Iowans lack clear relief when open government requests are denied

Public records requests are often denied to citizens of Iowa, who have no way to ensure that the state’s Sunshine Laws are properly followed.  -SMD
The Iowa Independent
News/Commentary
July 12, 2010
By Adam B. Sullivan
From rural township boards to the governor’s office, each level of government in Iowa is responsible for carrying out the state’s open records and open [...]

Hard times for Illinois, but not for governor’s staff

Gov. Pat Quinn, D-Illinois, has been raising staff members’ salaries, while cutting back spending costs, the Associated Press reports. -SMD
AP News
July 7, 2010
By JOHN O’CONNOR
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises — some of more than 20 percent — to his staff while proclaiming a message of “shared sacrifice” and planning [...]

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