Legislature, Gov. Jerry Brown back down on attempt to weaken open records law
Source: San Jose Mercury News
In a resounding victory for open government advocates and the California media, Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature on Thursday backed away from plans to make the state's open-records law essentially optional for cities and other local agencies.
State lawmakers were hit with a torrent of criticism from newspapers around the state, as well opposition from everyone from liberal environmentalists to conservatives, who feared the change approved by the Legislature last week would have severely limited the public's right to know what their government is up to.
After deciding last week to pull about $20 million for local agencies to respond to requests made under the California Public Records Act -- signed by Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1968 -- Brown and Senate leaders reversed course Thursday, a day after the Assembly did the same.
The political firestorm proved too much to bear for state leaders, particularly in light of the relatively small amount of funding the state was looking to cut, which amounts to 0.02 percent of the state's general-fund budget at a time when the budget has a $1.1 billion surplus.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/california-budget/ci_23504279/california-public-records-funding-will-remain-after-legislature
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