How to Join the California First Amendment Coalition

Individual Membership:

First Amendment Advocate = $50

First Amendment Watchdog = $100

First Amendment Guardian = $200

First Amendment Defender = $300

First Amendment Champion = $500

First Amendment Hero = $1000+

Please call us at (415) 460-5060 to hear about membership rates for law firms, individual lawyers, corporations, newspapers, academic institutions, and other allied organizations. Rates for daily newspapers are based entirely on circulation, and range from a $300 membership for papers with a circulation of less than 10,000, to 3,000 for papers with a circulation of more than 190,000.

For all daily newspapers, we are currently offering a 40% discount for the first year of membership. Rates for foreign-language daily newspapers (including bilingual newspapers) are 40% less than regular rates--and for the first year of membership there is an additional 25% discount.

Membership contributions can be made over the phone at (415) 460-5060 if you choose to use your Visa or Mastercard. If you would prefer to pay with a check, simply make it out to the California First Amendment Coalition and mail to:

Membership
CFAC
534 Fourth Street, Suite B
San Rafael, CA 94901

You can also pay online using the Paypal link below, even if you don't already have a paypal account.

You can expect to receive a thank you letter confirming that we recieved your payment and welcoming you as a new member in the Coalition.

Please be sure to send us your email address--Email is the quickest way to keep our members aware of of our latest accomplishments (or setbacks) in promoting and defending the people's right to know.

Why should you join the Coalition?

Members receive priority access to our HOTLINE legal consultation service, a subscription to the "Flash" newsletter on news and legal developments in First Amendment and access cases, and discounts on Coalition books, training sessions, and conferences. But the real reason to support the Coalition is not because it benefits you personally, but because your involvement is essential to the public benefit the Coalition can achieve with the backing and support of a community of members, all passionately committed to the principle of open government.

An ordinary citizen, acting alone, faces huge obstacles and heavy costs to obtain public information that government agencies wish to keep confidential. Even large daily newspapers are often reluctant to go to court to assert their rights.

Only a coalition can effectively and efficiently fight for the public’s right to know. Only a coalition can promote the public interest over narrow and self-serving special interests.

With the support of our members, CFAC has for over 15 years promoted and defended free expression and the public's right to access government meetings and records. These are challenging times for advocates of open government. In courts across the state, the sealing of records and closing of hearings have become more the rule than the exception. City Councils and school boards seek to evade the Brown Act's commands, while bureaucrats devote more energy to finding exemptions to the Public Records Act than to finding requested records. And now the federal courts have made clear that they will no longer hesitate to enforce subpoenas for information about reporters' confidential sources -- by holding reporters in contempt and throwing them in jail, if necessary.

Still, CFAC has made inspiring progress in opening the government and the courts-we prompted Governor Schwarzenegger to open his appointment calendars to the public, and sponsored Proposition 59, the sunshine amendment, which has already aided journalists in their struggles to obtain records from government agencies. CFAC's 2005 First Amendment Assembly held on the campus of Cal-State Fullerton on October 14 & 15 was a great success. We were able to offer a uniquely rich and diverse program of discussion groups and debates, as well as keynote addresses from First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams, and Internet journalism pioneer Dan Gillmor. And we are already setting sizeable goals for the coming months. Currently, we are working to ensure that the appointment records of all gubernatorial aides are open to the public, and putting pressure on the California Judiciary to adhere to the sunshine standards set by Proposition 59.

CFAC is a truly unique organization that offers a full spectrum of services for open government advocates-from education and advice to litigation. We provide the knowledge that allows individuals to effectively thwart attempts by government to operate behind closed doors. Please support us in this mission by becoming a member--at whatever level you can afford.

To pay by credit card, you can either call us (415) 460-5060, or you can make a secure, online payment through PayPal (an eBay subsidiary) by clicking on the icon below. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to have a PayPal account to do this.)

We hope you will also consider making a contribution to CFAC, beyond the annual membership fee. For information on contributions, click here.