By JW August, journalist and Past President of Californians Aware Firefights have broken out across California. The weapons used are not guns but words as police unions across the state are digging in over a recently enacted...
Read MoreThe proponents of Proposition 54—the California Legislature Transparency Act, which passed with 65 percent voter approval last November±—have delivered a letter to Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon opposing SCR-38, his bill...
Read MoreCalifornians Aware has announced its opposition to Assembly Bill 1455 by Assemblymember Raul Bocanegra (D-San Fernando), which would exempt from public disclosure under the California Public Records Act all records of what a...
Read More[alert type=”e.g. general, error, success, notice”] New Year’s Eve Reminder: Please make your contribution—as generous as you believe CalAware to be as a public service—by midnight Sunday in order to claim a...
Read MoreThe passage of Proposition 54 and both what it changes and why are well described here—with all the “woulds” to now be read as “wills”. Although the measure deals with legislative rules and procedures that never capture most...
Read MoreAn interesting discussion about the future of the Freedom of Information Act under the Trump Administration began this morning on FOI-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU, the listserv for FOIA practitioners, journalists and other professionals....
Read MoreA bill signed by Governor Brown requires local government bodies to link their meeting agendas to their websites’ home pages. AB 2257 by Assembly Member Brian Maienschein, signed by Governor Jerry Brown last Thursday, will...
Read MoreBy Richard Knee A group of open-government activists is working to get a CalAware-endorsed measure strengthening San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance onto a future citywide ballot. CalAware’s general counsel, Terry Francke,...
Read MoreA bill on its way to the Governor may not outlaw all disclosures of illegally recorded communications with medical providers. AB 1671 by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) would amend the Penal Code to add: A person who...
Read MoreA bill that would place charter schools under the same transparency rules as their public counterparts faces a likely veto. AB 709 by Assembly Member Mike Gipson (D-Gardena) would put charter schools (except those on tribal...
Read MoreIt often appears that Sacramento lawmakers who swarm to pass bills infringing free speech and press rights do so with a tin ear to the First Amendment because they trust that the courts can and will iron out any such...
Read MoreHighway robbery isn’t—when it’s done by a California police officer or sheriff’s deputy. Instead, it’s called civil asset forfeiture. If you’re caught with large amounts of cash in your vehicle, you lose it (and maybe the...
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