Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/california-public-records-act/)
County Supervisors Tuesday unanimously voted to pay Voice of OC $121,396 in legal fees after losing a Superior Court case for refusing to release public records about Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s handcuffing a preacher at a Wahoo’s restaurant.
Investigations into the Santa Ana mayor, county supervisor, and state senator are the subject of a records request by Craig Hunter, who alleged in a legal claim this month that District Attorney Tony Rackauckas “interfered in political corruption criminal investigations.” A spokeswoman for Rackauckas disputes the claim.
A state bill AB 1479 – up for vote on Friday – would create a fine for agencies that grossly violate California’s Public Records Act. A recent successful Voice of OC lawsuit against the County of Orange, appealing denied public records about an evangelist handcuffed by a county supervisor while armed, is a prime test case for the fine.
Christine Richters claims Supervisor Todd Spitzer ran his supervisor’s office through “fear and aggression,” forced his staff to be on-call at all hours of the night, and required them to work shifts of up to 24 hours at a time.
The request includes email and phone records from public officials’ personal devices.
The 24-page opinion in the case of the City of San Jose vs. the Superior Court (Smith) also said “…there is no indication the Legislature meant to allow public officials to shield communications about official business simply by directing them through personal accounts.“
Are the emails and texts of California government officials who use personal cell phones, note pads or laptops to skirt the state’s public disclosure law still public records?
Westminster has refused to release a claim against the city filed by former police chief Kevin Baker, who alleged he was retaliated against by Councilwoman Margie Rice for being a whistleblower.
Just like Hillary Clinton, Orange County Supervisors don’t want you to see their raw emails. Yet instead of private servers, they use their lawyers and your tax dollars to attack journalists and shield themselves from disclosure.
Norberto Santana Jr. guided county Supervisor Todd Spitzer’s demands for a correction to an Orange County Register article that scrutinized the supervisor’s citizen’s arrest of a man last year, the county alleges in a court filing. Santana says the filing mischaracterizes the interaction.