From Courthouse News Service: SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – Comments last week from judges, labor representatives and open government advocates poured criticism on the “vagueness and breadth” of exemptions to a draft rule that would open up meetings of Judicial Council advisory bodies.
But, when asked if the draft rule applies to the Judicial Council’s powerful internal committees, Justice Douglas Miller who heads the Executive and Planning Committee answered directly and clearly, “Yes it does.”
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From TheCalifornian.com: A San Francisco law firm is jumping on a local bandwagon asking the California Supreme Court to review an appellate court’s decision that would ultimately close all conservatorship hearings to the public.
In a Thursday amici letter to the Supreme Court, Duffy Carolan of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, argues the Sixth District Court of Appeals relied on a faulty understanding of the law to rule that all Lanterman-Petris-Short Act proceedings ought to be closed.
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From Daily Trojan: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission top administrator John Sandbrook was found guilty of testifying falsely during USC’s lease negotiations with the Coliseum on Oct. 4, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance Task Force has vacancies for an attorney and a journalist, both of whom must be nominated by the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California Chapter.
The task force comprises 11 voting and two ex-officio non-voting members. The voting members are appointed by the Board of Supervisors and, under Sunshine Ordinance Sec. 67.30(a), “must have experience and/or demonstrated interest in the issues of citizen access and participation in local government.”
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A few state FOIA and local open government news items selected from many of interest that we might or might not have drawn attention to earlier in the week:
Advocates fight to keep Georgia archives open to public
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Read More… from NFOIC’s State FOIA Friday for October 5, 2012
From U-T San Diego:
On July 24, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed its commitment to open meetings, unanimously agreeing to follow the state’s Ralph M. Brown Act even though the state had suspended the law to save money.
Chairman Ron Roberts mocked the state for its dysfunction.
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Read More… from San Diego County invokes state suspension of meetings law
From LA Times:
Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged there would be questions about whether his closed-door session with Los Angeles County supervisors last fall was in violation of the state’s open meetings law.
According to a transcript obtained by The Times, the governor said at one point, “Let's get our Brown Act cover story."
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Read More… from Gov. Brown joked about legality of closed-door meeting, aide says
