Asked and Answered
A great resource for researching access-to-government issues are the collected real answers to the real questions submitted to CFAC's Legal Hotline information service. The questions were submitted by people like you. The answers have been prepared by First Amendment lawyers Roger Myers and Rachel Metteo-Boehm of Holme Roberts & Owen, CFAC's general counsel.
To research Asked and Answered, just use the Google search tool on this page; it will search only the Asked and Answered section. You may also visit our sections on the Brown Act and the California Public Records Act (CPRA), where we offer separate, specialized FAQs for these statutes.
ACCESS TO MEETINGS OF GOVERNMENT ENTITIES
Brown Act and non-profit organizations
Barred from entering public school board meeting
Meeting in closed session to select a candidate
CSUs covered by Bagley-Keene, not Brown Act
Advisory committee subject to Brown Act?
City Council acts on issue not on agenda
"Amended" agenda must meet 72-hour notice rule
Time allotted for speaking at public meeting
Secret ballots violate Brown Act
Brown Act violation as misdemeanor
Opening closed session in mid-meeting
Violation of Brown Act by fellow board members
Entities meeting in a closed "workshop" setting
Little League meetings and the Brown Act
Non-profit committee receiving state and private grants subject to Brown Act?
Closed Sessions with Labor negotiator for unrepresented City employees
Board member placing a matter on the board's agenda
Joint Powers Boards and closed sessions
Barred entry to a meeting appointment
Work papers and internal meeting notes for senior city staff
Meeting communications by electronic devices
Tape recorded board meetings as a requirement
Community hospital boards and "competitive negotiations"
Subcommittee allegedly conducting unannounced meetings
Condominium Association and open meetings
Non-profit closed board meetings
Healthcare Districts and closed meetings
City manager inquiry to council members via e-mail
City council, newly subject to Brown Act, continue to violate
New labor contract posting requirements
Neighborhood City Council appointments without public comments
Appropriateness of closed session meeting of publicly-funded hospital district board
ACCESS TO RECORDS HELD BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
School documents and lost records
Autopsy records of a public official
Obtaining campus police records
Juvenile mother competency hearing
Police Background Investigation
My child welfare records from 30 years ago
Can I insist on the original record?
Access to transcripts of 911 calls
Must I pay for copying in advance?
Obtaining grand jury transcripts
Political Reform Act case records
Accessing juvenile court records
School employee discipline and hiring records
List of applicants for a public entity's general manager
Confidentiality of CPRA requests
Record of state and federal spending
Request to Dept. of Insurance regarding bail agents
Privilege barring release of confidential internal information
Excessive copying costs and administration fees
Library records and Record Management Programs
Birth, marriage, and death records under the PRA
Administrative Law Judge decision records
Names of persons lodging complaints
Names of applicants to a public position
School administration pay packages
School district e-mail disclosure
Records of grant requests to the California stem cell agency
Employment applications of current or past government employees
Community Service District charging staff time in addition to copying costs
Trying to get mental health case information expunged from records
FREEDOM OF SPEECH
Petitioning in front of stores
Program featuring illegal immigrants
Passing out flyers in front of a public school
Political campaign signs on leased property
Denied photography access to small-community postmaster lobby