Copyright 2004, Associated Press

Press freedom group honors those who fought for public access

(Associated Press 10/9/04) -- The California First Amendment Coalition on Saturday recognized two newspapers and a veteran reporter among those who received honors for fighting to provide public access to information.

A community Web site and public officials in San Diego and Santa Clara County also were among the winners of six Beacon Awards. The honors went to:

_ Denny Walsh of The Sacramento Bee for a career spent rooting out information that public officials did not want to see in print, from deals that enriched politicians to special treatment from the federal judiciary for well-placed figures.

_ A website called www.watchourcity.com, a new age, electronic effort to get information to residents about spending, special favors and questionable practices of the government of Huntington Park.

_ Santa Clara County District Attorney George Kennedy for opening two grand jury probes into police shootings that had enraged minorities.

_ The Contra Costa Times for its aggressive pursuit of government information, including a survey exposing routine violations of the California Public Records Act by public agencies. In addition, the Times filed suit against the city of Oakland to obtain the names of city employees
making more than $100,000 a year.

_ San Diego council members Donna Frye and Toni Atkins, who boycotted excessive closed sessions of the council and got a temporary ordinance passed that greatly improved public access to meetings.

_ The Oakland Tribune for its attempts to expose the problems of the manufacturer of electronic voting devices widely used in California, resisting a prior restraint threat in the process.

Beacon awards are given to individuals or organizations that have done exemplary work in informing the public, often by fighting to keep government meetings or records open to the public and by supporting the First Amendment.

The awards were given during the coalition's annual statewide assembly at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

The coalition also named the city of Oakland as the recipient of its annual Darkness Award for the city's refusal to reveal the salaries of its highest-paid employees, including the city manager.

The Darkness Award, previously called the Black Hole Award, is given to individuals or entities for demonstrating what the coalition describes as "an extraordinary indifference, hostility or resistance to open government and free speech on matters of public concern."

Peter Scheer, the coalition's executive director, said Oakland also encouraged legal threats from self-serving unions. The Contra Costa Times' lawsuit challenges the city to follow its own Sunshine Ordinance and the California Public Records Act.

The California First Amendment Coalition was formed 16 years ago to protect the First Amendment and the public's right to know and its access to public agencies.