CalAware Today

Court: Inspector General Investigations Not Public

By Anne Lowe

PUBLIC INFORMATION – The Office of the Inspector General is not required by the California Public Records Act to disclose its investigative files to the public, the California Court of Appeal ruled October 6, in an opinion ordered published Tuesday.

National Parks End Barriers to Small-scale Speech

By Anne Lowe

FREE SPEECH – The National Park Service announced October 14 it will be lifting its permit requirement for small-scale First Amendment activities at all national parks after a court found its regulations to be unconstitutional, in a case involving the distribution  of religious pamphlets in a "free speech area" at Mount Rushmore.

Bill Would Ease Disclosure of Public Officials' Pay

By Anne Lowe

OPEN GOVERNMENT – State Senator Lou Correa told an October 20 legislative hearing on government transparency that he will introduce a bill that will make finding out local and state officials’ salaries easier.

Newspaper Sued for Naming Brutally Beaten Child

By Anne Lowe

FREE PRESS – The legal guardian of a severely beaten child has filed suit against the Redding Record Searchlight for publishing the boy’s name in one article and making him identifiable in three others.

Brown Act Violation Charged in Pact with Tribe

By Anne Lowe

OPEN MEETINGS – Business owners are accusing the City of Porterville of committing a Brown Act violation when council members approved an agreement with an Indian tribe in closed session six months ago.

Pomona School Board Admits Brown Act Breaches

By Anne Lowe

OPEN MEETINGS – The Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) board has admitted it did not comply with Brown Act provisions when it put items for discussion under closed session in four of its meetings.

Admission of Unlawful Secrecy Sought from City

By Anne Lowe

OPEN GOVERNMENT – A proposed lawsuit settlement between the City of Tulare and several of its residents has resulted in the resignation of the vice mayor and would also require that city officials admit violations of California open government laws.

D.A.: No More Mute Button in Council Meetings

By Anne Lowe

OPEN MEETINGS – The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office has told the Carson City Council to cease using a mute button to squelch public commenters during council meetings.

We're on Vacation Hiatus until October 25

For responses to urgent questions or needs that can't wait until then, contact Terry Francke at terry@calaware.org. with full particulars.

Court Stops Release of Garrido Parole Records

By Anne Lowe

PUBLIC INFORMATION – A California Public Records Act (CPRA) lawsuit to compel the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to release its investigative records into the inadequate parole supervision of accused sex slave kidnapper Phillip Garrido was ordered dismissed Wednesday.

Meetings Begun in Closed Session Block Comments

By Anne Lowe

OPEN MEETINGS – The Santa Ana City Council starts its meetings promptly at 5 p.m. every first and third Monday of each month; the meetings, however, begin in closed session, preventing public comment on whatever they might concern.

City-Funded Opinion Poll’s Origins Questioned

By Anne Lowe

OPEN MEETINGS – A Hercules city-funded public opinion survey about the potential scrapping of a "New Urbanism" development for a train station is catching flack from residents for the clandestine nature in which it was approved.

Despite Promise, Budget Plan Hatched in Private

By Anne Lowe

OPEN GOVERNMENT – Assembly Speaker John Perez vowed in news conferences, on his website and in his recent inaugural speech that the California state budget would “not be written behind closed doors.” Late Oct. 1, the budget was written behind closed doors.

Journalist/Watchdog/Gadfly: Oakland's Mr. Handa

By Anne Lowe

FREE PRESS/OPEN GOVERNMENT – Sanjiv Handa is a one-man city hall bureau who's taken the responsibility of acting as open government monitor of the Oakland City Council.

School Paper Censored with Post-press Pasties

By Anne Lowe

FREE PRESS – The student newspaper at Willows High School in Glenn County found its first editorial section of the year censored by a principal concerned about potentially explosive inaccuracies, the Sacramento Valley Mirror reports—but only after it had come off the press.

Government Whistleblowers: What Free Speech?

By Anne Lowe

WHISTLEBLOWERS/FREE SPEECH – Government employees are only entitled to First Amendment protection for what they say under certain circumstances, an article in this month's issue of California Lawyer says—namely, when they step outside their jobs to speak up as citizens.

Critic: Wayward Judge Reports Kept too Vague

Anne Lowe

OPEN GOVERNMENT – Are yearly reports on judicial misconduct benefiting the public if key information revealing patterns is kept secret?

Marine Life Agencies Ordered to Release Plans

Anne Lowe

PUBLIC INFORMATION – Two agencies charged with planning the implementation of the Marine Life Protection Act were ordered by a judge last week  to release their proposals for the South Coast Region of California.

Governor Vetoes Campus Foundations' Sunshine

OPEN GOVERNMENT -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has for the second year in a row vetoed a bill that would have required nonprofit foundations and other types of "auxiliary organizations"  closely associated with California State University and University of California campuses to open their  records to the public, reports the Central Valley Business Times.

Alameda Denies Wholesale Purging of E-Mails

By Anne Lowe

OPEN GOVERNMENT – The City of Alameda denied allegations Wednesday that city officials refused to comply with a Public Records Act request for e-mails initiated by a developer.