Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/first-amendment/)
After years of protest, the ACLU heads into superior court next month against the County of Orange seeking a court injunction against restrictive public comment rules. The hearing is scheduled for June 12 at 10 am in Dept. C25 in front of Judge Sheila Fell.
Voice of OC today stands alongside hundreds of news organizations across America, pushing back against President Trump’s assertion that reporters are enemies of the people, defending the notion that a free and independent press is central to our democracy, our freedom.
After Anaheim PD confronts a Voice of OC reporter who clearly identified himself, questions arise about Anaheim’s commitment to the First Amendment and the tone of neighborhood homeless sweeps.
American courts have held the public and journalists have the right to film government officials, including police, carrying out official actions in public.
Orange County’s five elected supervisors preside over $6 billion in public spending and pressing issues like homelessness, mental health and drug treatment, and how to balance spending between those programs and county jails, the Sheriff’s Department, and District Attorney’s Office.
The Brea City Council tabled a controversial proposed protest ordinance until next month after receiving opposition from the public and a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union that warned of potential First Amendment violations in the proposed ordinance.
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.
County Counsel Leon Page is defending a ban on public commenters addressing supervisors by name, among other the ACLU claims is illegal. In response, ACLU officials say county supervisors will be set straight by the courts if they don’t change their policies.
In recent months, Orange County supervisors put tighter and tighter restrictions on speakers who try to address them at public board meetings. The ACLU’s letter is prompting county officials to consider possible policy changes.
While the citizens of Orange County were casting ballots on Election Day, the county’s elected Board of Supervisors voted to restrict how often and how long people can speak at public meetings.