CFAC Legislation Coverage

CFAC's Legislative Primer

Link to Official State Bill Tracking Website

Stories about Specific Legislation

CNPA opposes family court secrecy bill

SACRAMENTO (4/8/04) -- The California Newspaper Publishers Association has formally opposed a bill that would make most family court documents beyond the public's reach and create "a system of secret justice in the family courts." The bill, AB782 by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, would specify that ony a few narrowly defined family court documents would be available to the public. CNPA's opposition letter to the legislation says, in part, "Your bill would seal court records without regard to the content of the record, without regard to its value to the public and without regard to whether or not the record's disclosure would actually harm a litigant. The bill would sweep away centuries of common law and subordinate the presumptive First Amendment right of access to court records to a system that would foreclose access to mountains of evidence the disclosure of which would harm no one. The bill would create an environment in which economically, politically and legally powerful litigants whose pleadings would automatically be sealed would be able to take advantage of weaker parties."

 

Publishers stop attempted public notice makeover

SACRAMENTO (4/4/04) -- Implying that the newspaper opposition to his bill was like the "buggy whip industry," Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Canoga Park) presented his legislation last week to repeal a key public notice newspaper advertisement in favor of Internet posting to the Assembly Education Committee. The committee, in response to pressure from CNPA and key publishers, unanimously rejected Levine's proposal and the idea that new technologies could improve upon newspaper publication of public notices. (See story)

 

Stories about SCA1 / SCA 7 the Constitutional Sunshine Amendment

SB1238: Bill Would Expand Non-Public School Board-Union Meetings

SB1386: Three New Bills Would Reduce Access to Personal Information

SB1614: Birth Index Bill Gutted, to be Reworked

SB1614: Bill on Vital Statistics Secrecy Worsens

SB1614: CFAC Opposes Bill on Sale of Indexes

SB1614: Three New Bills Would Reduce Access to Personal Information

SB1643: Bill on Crisis Meetings Gets Amended

SB1643: Bills Offer Local, State Bodies More Security Closed Sessions

AB1870: Bill Looks to Creation of One Net for Crime, Terrorism Tracking

AB1945: Bill on Closed Session Leaks Softened

AB1945: Bill Would Criminalize Closed Session Disclosures

AB1962: Bill Would Extend Access Law to E-Mail

AB2072: Bills Offer Local, State Bodies More Security Closed Sessions

AB2160: Governor: I won't Sign Bargaining Bill

AB2238: Bill Would Criminalize Closed Session Disclosures

AB2278: Three New Bills Would Reduce Access to Personal Information

AB2397: Bill Would End Charging Requesters for Suppressing Information

AB2941: Bill Would Require ID, Reason for Access

AB3035: Bill Would Strengthen Disabled Access to Government