The Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health violated state law by failing to honor two separate public records requests filed by the Los Feliz Ledger during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to those well-versed in the law. Following a spate of coronavirus outbreaks at congregate living facilities, Ledger Publisher Allison B. Cohen filed a California…
Tag: public records
Arkansas judge rules text messages in public-records dispute subject to disclosure
Text messages between a state agency director and vendor’s representative are public under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and the representative’s name “should be disclosed,” a Pulaski County circuit judge ruled Monday. “The messages reflect the performance or lack of performance of official functions because they inextricably intertwine personal and public-business matters such that…
Arkansas citizens can photograph public documents under FOIA
Citizens who request access to public documents under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act have the right to photograph those documents using their cellphones, the Arkansas Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday. By a 5-1 decision, the appellate court sided with Ben Motal, a Little Rock attorney who had argued against a city policy prohibiting him…
Openness remains a challenge for some Oklahoma bodies
As part of a study of states’ willingness to provide public records, graduate students at Marquette University in Milwaukee contacted officials in Oklahoma. The results, alas, were less than encouraging. The Oklahoman’s Randy Ellis reported recently that 90% of the requests made in Oklahoma were fulfilled. On the surface that appears encouraging — except that…
150 Organizations Sign Statement on Government Coronavirus Emergency Transparency
More than 150 organizations have signed a statement to state, tribal and local public institutions voicing concerns about transparency and access to meetings and records as these institutions respond to the Coronavirus emergency and continue their administrative deliberations. Organizations representing diverse constituencies and political ideologies have joined together to advise these governing bodies that real time…
Final tally for Portland schools over public records disputes? Nearly $280,000
Portland Public Schools will pay an additional $105,000 to cover legal fees in a dispute that began when the district refused to release the names of staffers it had put on paid leave, the school board decided Tuesday. That puts the total bill for the district-initiated lawsuit at just over $277,000, which is 38 percent higher…
Phoenix New Times: Want Public Records From the Arizona Governor’s Office? Be Prepared to Wait.
In his first state of the state address, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey declared, “Our government needs to operate at the speed of business.” Two years ago, his office highlighted the progress of government agencies “working more productively, more efficiently, and doing so at a lesser cost to taxpayers.” But Ducey’s office hasn’t adopted the brisk speed and efficiency…
New NFOIC White Paper looks at the rising issue of “burdensome” public record requests
News Release December 3, 2018 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Daniel Bevarly (352) 294-7082 · dbevarly@nfoic.org NFOIC White Paper: “Beast or Burden: Nuisance, vexatious, or burdensome public records requests” A growing concern among news organizations and open government advocates is the labeling of a certain type of public records request as vexatious, unduly burdensome,…
Transparency: Government minutes missing in action
We hear governments boasting all the time about their transparency websites and there is no question that the material that’s posted on the Internet is generally leagues better than in the past.
But we have a gripe. There is one transparency topic that appears to be in deep decline – the recording of meeting minutes for work that takes place in legislative committee meetings, advisory panels, commissions and task forces.
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Why Is Access To Public Records Still So Frustratingly Complicated?
Even with the Freedom of Information Act, requesting government records remains an arduous process—especially compared to the efficiency of the legal world.
Earlier this month, House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz wrote to the Federal Bureau of Investigation demanding former FBI director James Comey’s notes of conversations with President Trump.
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