Public officials who say something stupid or corrupt often don’t use their work computer. The device du jour for sending incriminating or embarrassing messages has become the “personal” computer or smartphone. Recent revelations of such incriminating or embarrassing e-mails by aides to Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey and Scott…
Income inequality is one of the biggest issues in the country. The University of California Regents recently joined that issue squarely on the side of the billionaires, and against everyone else — including taxpayers — in a case involving the degree of transparency which should be allowed into the university’s…
A Los Angeles judge has issued what may be the last ruling in a years-long battle for pension transparency in California. Superior Court Judge James Chalfant held on November 15 that the Los Angeles Times is entitled to know not just the names and pensions of retired Los Angeles County…
There’s an old saying: I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Add to that: transparency may not always be convenient, but it’s important to government. This occurred to me recently in a case I am handling for…
A San Francisco appellate court on August 26 handed a third victory to open government advocates wanting to know who’s receiving county pensions. The decision from California’s First District Court of Appeal in Sonoma County Employees’ Retirement Association v. Superior Court comes on the heels of earlier rulings from Courts…
Two California Courts of Appeal have shed light on a hot issue, ruling that county pension agencies must disclose the names and pension amounts of members receiving generous pension amounts. Both courts, in rulings a month apart, rejected privacy arguments raised by by the agencies and the pension recipients, and…
California is broke. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but one of the prime culprits is a lack of transparency. If people don’t know how public money is being spent, it’s hard to ensure that public money is being spent wisely. One especially troublesome area is public employee pensions,…
In a welcome shift from its predecessor, President Obama’s administration has issued new guidelines favoring disclosure and transparency in handling Freeom of Information Act guidelines. Obama first signaled a shift on his first day in office when he issued a presidential memorandum calling on agencies to “usher in a new…
OBAMA: RECORDS PRESUMED OPEN President Obama didn’t waste any time in breaking with the secrecy-first policies of his predecessor. On his first full day in office, Obama issued a memorandum reversing the policy of the Bush Administration toward Freedom of Information Act requests. The so-called “Ashcroft Memorandum” issued early in…
Last year’s California Supreme Court ruling mandating disclosure of public employee salaries is the gift that keeps on giving to the public. Every day, some newspaper throughout the state does a story reporting on some city which can’t manage its budget, or some public employee who appears to be making…