California transparency headlines
From Sunshine Review
This article is a list of transparency related news from California.
Oakland's Part-Time Mayor
December 24, 2008: When Ron Dellums agreed to run for mayor of Oakland in October 2005, he warned his followers that if elected, he did not intend to give it his all, despite the city's many problems. "I want balance in my life," he explained to a throng of admirers at Laney College who had pleaded with him to run. "I don't want you to think that I have to go 24/7." His admonition didn't seem to faze the rapt audience. But it should have, because during his first two years in office, Dellums hasn't even worked eight hours a day, five days a week, let alone 24/7. Read the full article here.
Tri-City leaders placed on leave
December 20, 2008: In a sudden sweep of its top tier of management, the Tri-City Healthcare District board placed its chief executive officer and seven other administrators on paid leave yesterday while it investigates district finances.
The new Tri-City board chairwoman announced that the district has hired Michael Williams, of C.M. de Crinis & Co. in Sherman Oaks, “to conduct a forensic investigation into district finances and operations.” Read the full article here.
Hansberger: Records were "appropriately" tossed
December 10, 2008: Former Supervisor Dennis Hansberger said Wednesday that he disposed of records in his office before his term expired Nov. 30.
"We cleaned out the documents appropriately," Hansberger said. "Every day people dispose of documents. I don't keep documents in my office which are departmental in nature, and 99 percent of what we do is departmental in nature."
He also declined to comment on a San Bernardino County policy he approved as Board of Supervisors chairman in 2004 that provides for the retention of public documents when a supervisor leaves office. Read the full article here.
Open the windows to the state Capitol
December 7, 2008: It should not take a lawsuit to open the windows into the legislative activity within the state Capitol. These are the people we elect, operating with the money we provide them, to perform the people's business.
But a lawsuit filed last week by MAPLight.org in Berkeley and the California First Amendment Coalition in San Rafael underscores the degree to which the California Legislature has been corrupted by arrogance and allegiance to special interests. Read the full column here.
Editorial: Data is public's, and so is database
December 5, 2008: If you want to know how your legislator voted on one particular bill, it's easy enough to find that out. Look up the bill number online and follow the prompts that guide you to all the committee and floor votes taken on that piece of legislation. They will reveal which legislators voted for or against it.
But if you wanted to know something more, like how your representative voted on all bills related to air pollution or to teacher tenure issues or to auto insurance – well, good luck. Obtaining that kind of information could take days or weeks of research. Read the full editorial here.
Suit seeks database on bills, lawmakers' votes
December 4, 2008: Open-government advocates filed a lawsuit against the state Wednesday, asking a Superior Court judge to order the Legislative Counsel to provide an electronic database containing information on bills and lawmakers' voting records.
The suit was filed jointly by the California First Amendment Coalition and MAPlight.org, a nonprofit in Berkeley that operates a Web site that analyzes the relationship between campaign contributions by special-interest groups and how lawmakers vote on legislation. Read the full article here.
VCUSD quietly settles lawsuit
December 2, 2008: A former Vallejo principal's lawsuit against the school district has been settled, but terms of the agreement are being kept from the public despite legal precedent for disclosure, it was learned Monday.
Last month, the Vallejo City Unified School District settled litigation initiated by former Jesse Bethel High School principal Lilli Rollins. But the district has refused to reveal any terms of the settlement, citing a confidentiality agreement between the two parties, spokesman Jason Hodge said.
The Times-Herald had made a public records request for a list of all expenditures stemming from the lawsuit filed in May to be released, including terms of the settlement agreement. Read the full article here.
Baldwin Park faces suit over public records
November 27, 2008: A community nonprofit group is suing the city over access to public records.
The Community Alliance for Redevelopment Accountability filed the suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Nov. 18. It alleges several violations of the California Public Records Act, including withholding public documents, failing to respond to certain requests and incompletely fulfilling requests. Read the full article here.
Records attorney: City must disclose rally cop count
November 18, 2008: Although the city attorney and police chief have contended that disclosing the number of law enforcement personnel employed at the annual biker rally could endanger the community's safety, an open records expert told the Free Lance today that the public has a right to the information and he said there's no "statutory or case authority" supporting their stance. Read the full article here.
Sunshine law drafted by citizens to be on council agenda
Pasadena school district withholds public records of alleged theft of school bond funds
October 30, 2008: Pasadena Unified School District officials refused Thursday to release invoices, an attorney's report and other public records related to their investigation of at least $80,000 they say is unaccounted for from a 1997 school bond.
Superintendent Edwin Diaz said the district's legal counsel advised him to withhold all records and other details surrounding the alleged theft of Measure Y money that was earmarked for improvements at Washington Middle School in 2006. Read the full article here.
Police 'sunshine' proposal worries San Jose mayor, council members
October 14, 2008: A citizen task force's proposal to require broader release of San Jose police reports met stiff resistance Tuesday from the mayor and council members, who cited law enforcement concerns about making crime-fighting more difficult.
The 15-member Sunshine Reform Task Force's proposal would generally make San Jose police reports public records, with exemptions to protect personal safety, privacy or ongoing investigations. Civil rights and liberties groups and advocates for domestic-violence victims argued the plan will bolster community confidence in a police department many consider too secretive. Read the full article here.
Public records dust-up in San Bernardino
October 4, 2008: Joseph Turner, a local figure who has managed to find himself involved in some of the city's biggest controversies of the past couple of years, is now in a disagreement with the City Attorney's Office over a gargantuan Public Records Act request.
Turner, who until recently worked as a political consultant for the San Bernardino police union, filed multiple public records requests in August and September for copies of key officials' e-mails and any lawsuits related to a police lieutenant. Read the full article here.
Peralta board to question records-law violation
October 1, 2008: Trustees with the Peralta Community College District plan to grill administrators over their failure to comply with state public-record laws.
The board will hold a closed session to consider punishing employees who failed to respond to a Sept. 18 MediaNews records request before a Sept. 28 deadline, said Cy Gulassa, the board's president. Late Wednesday, the district responded to the request for information on possible financial wrongdoing; it declined to release the records. Read the full article here.
Atherton: Ex-official seeks records on candidate, councilman, staff
October 1, 2008: Atherton's former finance director John Johns is seeking an array of e-mails, memos and other documents in three California Public Records Act requests.
A the end of September, Mr. Johns filed requests for records on City Council candidate Elizabeth Lewis' home construction project, police department expense accounts, Councilman Charles Marsala's investigation of Mr. Johns, and all communications between the former police chief, former interim city manager, and two other town staffers — among other things. Read the full article here.
Idyllwild Fire Protection District can’t find audits
September 25, 2008: The Idyllwild Fire Protection District (IFPD) cannot provide copies of its audits for the past five fiscal years. Although Chief Steve Kunkle says the audits for years 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 have been completed, none of the district officials has a copy that can be reviewed or photocopied. Read the full article here.
San Bernardino County funneling public records requests through unions
September 22, 2008: San Bernardino County has a new protocol when dealing with public records requests from the media seeking information on its employees: give the two unions representing the employees a heads-up before releasing the information.
In December 2007, The Sun and Daily Bulletin published the names, positions and salaries of every county employee on its Web site, triggering an outcry from County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer and the two unions that represent county employees, the San Bernardino Public Employees Association (SBPEA) and the San Bernardino County Safety Employees Benefit Association (SEBA). Read the full article here.
Voter activist group finds fault with June election
September 15, 2008: A voter activist group has released a report detailing allegations that the county elections office failed to follow numerous procedures in the June election.
The group, Save R Vote, contends numerous problems that appeared to violate state law, certification requirements and office policies were found in its examination of records provided by the county Registrar of Voters through the California Public Records Act. Read the full article here.
Oakland Co. to black out social security numbers on public records
September 9, 2008: Beginning today, requesting copies of public records at the Oakland County Courthouse will find any reference to social security numbers blacked out, a new policy implemented by county clerk Ruth Johnson to help stop identity theft. Read the full article here.
Our View: Readers have right to know tax-paid salaries
August 17, 2008: Taxpayers deserve to know how their hard-earned dollars are being spent. That is the primary reason behind the newspaper's California Public Records Act requests of Sutter and Yuba counties and the cities of Marysville and Yuba City for the names, titles and salaries of current county and city employees. Read the full article here.
Judge criticizes Michael Aguirre for not releasing documents August 16, 2008: A Superior Court judge has criticized San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre over his office's reluctance to release documents under the California Public Records Act.
A local attorney requested public documents including phone records and other communication last fall in the hopes of helping a State Bar of California investigation of Aguirre's conduct while in office. Read the full article here.
Riverside finance deputy falsely claims he's CPA
August 4, 2008: The No. 2 official monitoring Riverside County's finances has claimed for years that he's a CPA, but records show Bruce Kincaid doesn't hold a Certified Public Accountant license in California. Read the full story here.
County supervisors refuse to provide details on King-Harbor workers
July 30, 2008: Los Angeles County supervisors continued Tuesday to refuse to release details about 17 employees who worked at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital despite having serious criminal histories or lying about their records.
After 16 of the workers were suspended two weeks ago, Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke said one of the employees had been convicted of rape. But neither the supervisors nor county health officials would address questions that might indicate whether patients were injured or placed at risk by the employees. Read the full article here.
Ex-Cerritos commissioner plans to sue
July 25, 2008: A commissioner relieved of his post by the City Council said he plans to sue for infringing on his right to file a public records request.
Fuentes was removed at the request of Councilman Joseph Cho, who said he began reconsidering his April 2007 appointment of the Cerritos native after finding several comments Fuentes made to the Press-Telegram and Los Cerritos Community News inappropriate.
Cho in an interview this week declined to identify those statements, but Fuentes in late May was quoted in the Press-Telegram as saying that the current City Council is "the worst" in the community's history. Read the full article here.
Schwarzenegger launches 'California School Finder'
Release of Moreno information debated
July 23, 2008: Calaveras County supervisors Tuesday rejected a suggestion by Supervisor Tom Tryon that they make more information on the resignation of Community Development Agency Director Stephanie Moreno available to the public.
Tryon was the only member of the board who voted "no" on accepting Moreno's resignation. During Tuesday's board meeting, he explained that he did so because he found the terms and conditions of the resignation "offensive" and said it is not appropriate to "stonewall" the public on what the settlement entailed. Read the full article here.
Appeals court tosses 'doomed' case against city of Tracy
July 16, 2008: A California Court of Appeals has dismissed a case brought by the Tracy Press against the city of Tracy because attorneys for the newspaper failed to include in the lawsuit the name of the City Council member from whom they sought records.
The newspaper named only the city and not the councilwoman, Suzanne Tucker, even though she was named as a party during a San Joaquin County Superior Court case. Read the full article here.
Judge: county violated public records act
July 13, 2008: Riverside County officials repeatedly violated the California Public Records Act by failing to inform a public employees union of the status of their records requests in a timely manner, a judge ruled Friday.
Superior Court Judge Michael B. Donner ruled for the union in a court action it filed against the county in December.
Officials with Service Employees International Union Local 721 said the county failed to respond in the required 10 days to the union's request for a number of documents, including lists of the county's temporary employees and their hours worked, union officials said. Read the full article here.
Playing hide and seek with public records
July 10, 2008: It's not unusual for newspapers, or lawyers in Public Records Act or Freedom of Information Act cases, to accuse the government of trying to “hide” things.
Now a San Bernardino County case has revealed what may be a criminal attempt at hiding public records, just in time for a Fourth of July reminder about the importance of access to information about government. Read the full article here.
New notification of public records required
July 9, 2008: The public has greater access to public records now that the California Legislature has added requirements to the Ralph M. Brown Act, the state's open-meeting law.
Effective July 1, tax-supported agencies must specify on each meeting agenda the address where the public can review documents of the city, county, school district or special district. Read the full article here.
Council mulls transparency
July 7, 2008: Councilman Perry Woodward's greater goal of transparency still shines through his proposed open government ordinance after months of administrative and legal review, he said. The council will decide how to proceed Wednesday. Read the full story here.
Foley, Coronado drop request to seal settlement agreement
July 3, 2008: Attorneys for Coronado and former Chargers linebacker Steve Foley have dropped a request to seal a settlement agreement in a lawsuit over the football player's shooting by an off-duty police officer.
Both sides met Thursday afternoon with Superior Court Judge Richard Strauss and agreed to cancel the hearing about keeping the agreement confidential. It will now be made public, possibly as early as Monday, when the Coronado City Council will meet in closed session to consider approving the settlement. Read the full story here.
San Leandro launches electronic records database
July 1, 2008: Whether you're a gadfly looking to dig up some dirt on city officials or just an average person wondering what happened at last month's City Council meeting, public records requests just got a lot easier.
The city recently launched its online public records database, officially taking the plunge into the digital age. Read the full story here.
California lags far behind others in government openness
June 30, 2008: For all its progressive policies, California continues to lag behind other states in open government and records access. A look at some recent developments in other states shows just how regressive our state remains.
In Tennessee, Gov. Phil Bredesen approved a law this week lowering the response period for public records requests from 10 days to seven. The Rhode Island Legislature also approved a similar bill. It also includes mandates for improved access to arrest records.
California?
It's 10 days — a time frame that is often manipulated and ignored. Read the full column here.
Judge: City must pay paper $36K in legal fees for City Hall case
June 28, 2008: Redding must pay $36,288 in attorney fees to the Record Searchlight in its lawsuit for documents stemming from the City Hall affairs, a Shasta County Superior Court judge has ruled.
Judge Jack Halpin issued the ruling without comment late Thursday. But he denied the newspaper's request that the city pay an additional $828.72 in copying fees. Read the full story here.
District largely denies records request for special ed documents
June 25, 2008: School district officials gave few answers to the many questions asked of them via a special education-related California Public Records Act Request filed by a district parent and trustee (Lisa Pampuch), saying they just don't have the documents handy.
"I would be embarrassed to put out this response," Pampuch said. "The two possible explanations that I can come up with are that one, the district doesn't have the information, which is bad, or two, the district has the information but doesn't want to share it, which is also bad." Read the full story here.
Assembly approves Yee's open-government bill
June 24, 2008: A bill by state Sen. Leland Yee that would prohibit state or local agencies from agreeing with an outside entity to keep public information secret is headed to the governor.
The bill says that a state or local agency cannot use the excuse of a confidentiality agreement or contract with an outside entity to control the release of information that is public under the state's Public Records Act. Read the full story here.
Keep public records public
June 21, 2008: The public must have a way to know how its representatives spend its money — and the public payroll is a central part of that. Public employees, in turn, should understand that they work for the taxpayers and, consequently, that they are subject to public scrutiny.
That's how this paper in 2002 determined which Contra Costa firefighter was averaging 64 hours a week of overtime, placing him among the county's top 10 earners, ahead of his fire chief, the sheriff and the district attorney. Similarly, without individual salaries, we could not have reported in 2003 that Richmond's Employment and Training Department managers drained $221,447 in restricted cash from the city literacy program to pay their own salaries, then laid off nearly all the literacy teachers for lack of money. Read the full story here.
Senator pushes second bill aimed at opening LAPD discipline records
June 17, 2008: A state senator hopes to revive a controversial bill that would increase media access to disciplinary hearings and records involving Los Angeles Police Department officers.
The legislation, according to Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles), was encouraged by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and has already generated sharp criticism from the union that represents LAPD officers. Read the full story here.
Thousands on LA payroll over $100,000
May 11, 2008. As Los Angeles grapples with its largest budget deficit in history, lucrative compensation packages for thousands of city workers are driving much of the gap, and there's little end in sight. Gross annual payroll costs have soared $120 million for nearly 48,000 city employees...more...
