Spread a Little Sunshine for "Sunshine Week"

There’s that saying that goes “politics can be a lot like a sausage factory.” Though you may or may not like the ultimate product, it’s nearly unanimous most would rather not see the mechanizations behind it. We here at Fair Oaks Patch would beg to differ.

Fair Oaks Patch is participating in Sunshine Week this week by promoting and celebrating open government and freedom of information.

Our aim, much like that of Sunshine Week’s mission, is to provide a means for the community to spark conversation about the importance of the public’s right to know what its government is up to.

The Fair Oaks community is not unlike many communities engaged in local and state politics. Like many communities engaged in the individual’s desire for open government, we understand how important it is to provide information about local and state freedom-of-information and “sunshine” laws. Much of this information is available to the public, including how to get it, use and decipher the information as well as explain how and why journalists utilize these laws to further the core mission of covering and informing our communities.

Sunshine Week started as a national initiative developed in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors. The initiative was developed to promote a dialogue between the public and media about the importance of providing government transparency.  While Sunshine Week is the product of journalists, its sole mission is to raise public awareness on the issues of government decision-making, how and why those decisions are made.

The following is from SunshineWeek.org:

In recognizing earlier Sunshine Weeks, many public officials around the country issued proclamations extolling openness in government. A few introduced significant open government legislation or signed executive orders. It’s time the pronouncements become actions and the few become the many. 

This Sunshine Week, we urge citizens to press their public officials to do more, seeking not just broad statements of support for greater transparency but specific pledges and plans of action to enhance the public’s right to know.

Sunshine Week 2011 can be a time when you as a citizen or civic organization make a difference by identifying local or state open government shortcomings and then asking your public officials to pledge and initiate specific improvements in local or state law and practice.

To assist your efforts, the Sunshine Week team presents a sample Open Government Proclamation that you, or your group, can take to your public officials to seek a commitment on open government with specific action that will lead to increased sunshine.

Like all proclamations, it begins with a general statement of the benefits of open government at every level.

That is followed by a sampling of open government provisions that brought greater transparency to local and state governments around the country. We offer these as examples of the kind of specific action that may be needed in and appropriate for your community or state. We also hope these examples will inspire ideas for other openness measures that may be needed in your community or state.

We hope you and/or your organization will find these useful in considering what sunshine commitments are needed in your government and in crafting a specific proclamation and action pledge to present to your public officials.

Let us know if you are successful by contacting dmk@asne.org and writing "Sunshine Week Proclamation" in the subject line. If the media reported your government’s action, send along the link(s). We plan an “Honor Roll” on this website of government entities that adopt Sunshine Week open government pledges and/or take specific actions. 

Here is the Sunshine Week Open Government Proclamation PDF and a link:http://www.sunshineweek.org/proclamation.aspx

You can start spreading a little sunshine around Fair Oaks by checking out some local resources and/or contacting those familiar with information about Freedom of Information acts below:

Information For Local Governmental Organizations

Here is a partial list of websites including information from organizations more relevant to the Fair Oaks area:

• Sacramento County Board of Supervisors - public meetings agenda.
• Sacramento County Planning Commission - public meetings agenda.
• Sacramento County Sheriff's Department - crime map
• San Juan Unified School District - board meetings agenda
• Fair Oaks Recreation and Parks District - board meetings agenda

Information Pertaining To State-Wide Law and Freedom of Information Acts

Open Meetings Law 
Brown Act: Gov't Code §54950-54960.5
Closed: Consultation on pending litigation; discipline of public employees; real estate transactions; and collective bargaining.
Link to Brown Act guide (Adobe Acrobat file)

Open Records Law
Calif. Public Records Act: Gov't Code  §6250-6268
Exempt: Law enforcement investigations: litigation; and proprietary business data and personal privacy.
Link to CPRA guide (Adobe Acrobat file)

California Shield Law
The California Shield Law provides legal protections to journalists seeking to maintain the confidentiality of an unnamed source or unpublished information obtained during newsgathering. California Shield Law (Adobe/PDF file)

Californians Aware
2218 Homewood Way
Carmichael, CA 95608
Contact: Terry Francke, General Counsel
Phone 916.487.7000
Fax 916.487.7999
E-mail terry@calaware.org

Office of the Attorney General
California Department of Justice
Attn: Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
http://ag.ca.gov/