Protecting the Decision-Makers: Appellate Decision Safeguards the Deliberative Process in Public Records Act Case

by Algeria R. Ford In Labor and Workforce Development Agency v. Superior Court of Sacramento County, et al., the California Court of Appeal recently dealt with a case involving the balance between open government principles and the need for confidentiality in the process of drafting legislation.  The Court held that the deliberative process privilege protects…

ACLU of Southern California v. Superior Court: Release or Not to Release?

By Sergio Rudin In a recent decision, the California Supreme Court was confronted with the question of whether the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Department properly withheld the production of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) data in response to a public records request made by the American Civil Liberties Union of…

Local Agency Officials and Employees – Your Private Electronic Devices Are Not So Private Anymore!

By Kane Thuyen California Supreme Court Holds That Local Agency Employee and Official Emails Or Text Messages About Local Agency Business, Sent, Stored Or Received In A Personal Account Or Private Electronic Device, Are Not Exempt From Disclosure Under The California Public Records Act. In the wake of this recent California Supreme Court decision, local…