What are the practical steps that citizens and media should take before bringing a lawsuit in a public records case? This question will be the focus of discussion for FAC Executive Director Peter Scheer and other top government-access legal specialists participating in the Public Records Act Litigation Seminar, Wed., May 8 in San Francisco. The [...]
FAC files suit for logs showing who visited LA’s County Assessor in jail
PS–The First Amendment Coalition (FAC) has filed a Public Records suit to find out who has visited LA county jail inmate John Noguez, the embattled LA County Assessor who faces twenty-four felony counts for bribery, perjury and related public corruption charges. Noguez was arrested in October, along with an aide and a political contributor, following [...]
LAPD’s use of “Stingray” cell-phone monitoring tool revealed by FAC public records request
BY PETER SCHEER–The records published below–released to the First Amendment Coalition by the Los Angeles Police Department–confirm LAPD’s use, in criminal investigations, of a controversial technology for tracking cell phones. Devices using this technology, “International Mobile Subscriber Identity” locators, operate by mimicking a cellphone tower, causing cell phones that are within range to connect to [...]
Bert Robinson, veteran reporter, editor and open government advocate joins FAC Board
We are pleased to welcome Bert Robinson to the FAC Board of Directors. Robinson is managing editor of content for the Bay Ara News Group overseeing the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times and Oakland Tribune. “Bert is a life-long newspaper man having worked for the Mercury News since graduating from the Columbia University [...]
FAC lawsuit leads to model CPRA policy for dot-gov email
Auburn and San Jose are the first cities in California to adopt policies acknowledging the public’s right of access to city officials’ emails about government business–regardless of the kind of email accounts used to send or receive those emails. Emails have long been covered by the California’s Public Records Act (PRA), which treats paper records [...]
FAC & Reporters Committee file briefs in Apple v. Samsung secrecy appeal
The First Amendment Coalition on Monday filed an amicus brief in an appeal of a secrecy ruling in the Apple v. Samsung patent infringement litigation. FAC is participating to defend the trial judge’s ruling directing the unsealing of certain confidential financial records filed under seal by both Apple and Samsung. Also filed Monday: a media [...]
Brown signs “Richard McKee bill” to tighten Brown Act enforcement
The measure strengthening the public’s ability to enforce the Brown Act was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown last week. Known as the “Richard McKee Act,” the legislation allows members of the public to send local government bodies a cease-and-desist letter if they believe government agencies have violated the Brown Act. The government agency [...]
Governor Brown decides fate of open-government bills
The Richard McKee Brown Act enforcement bill wasn’t the only open-government legislation to come before Governor Brown at the end of this legislative session. Here’s what happened with the bills that FAC has been tracking this year: AB 1270: Governor Brown vetoed this bill that would have allowed journalists greater ability to request interviews with [...]
Scheer discusses Citizens United on HuffPost Live’s “Paying for Free Speech”
FAC Executive Director Peter Scheer participated in a lively online discussion centered on the non-profit organization Citizens United and their new anti Obama film that will air on TV 82 times before November’s election, a first for a film of its kind. The question posed to the panel was: Is there anything wrong with airing the [...]
Appeals court denies FAC request to join appeal over Apple-Samsung secrecy
A federal appeals court in Washington, DC denied the First Amendment Coalition’s request to intervene in a pending appeal in the Apple v. Samsung litigation. FAC had sought to intervene as a party in the appeal to defend the trial judge’s ruling ordering the unsealing of certain confidential financial records filed by Apple and Samsung [...]
