Lifting the Fog Over Lobbying Compliance - updated with impact of COVID-19 on NYS lobbying community
[WEBINAR] "Walking the Line" - Public Agencies', Officials' and Employees' Roles in Local Elections
[WEBINAR] Who Does What? Defining Proper Roles for Staff and Elected Officials
Bribery & Corruption in the Military. A Front-Line View (Part II)
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
Blogging for Lawyers
Access Depends on if Record Request is from “Elected Official” or “Member of the Public” - As local public agencies welcome newly elected officials, it can be unclear whether the newcomers are entitled to unfettered access...more
New California Law Addresses Prohibition on Serial Meetings on Social Media - California public officials could run afoul of the Brown Act if they communicate with legislative members of the same body on social media...more
The California Supreme Court has finally decided a question that has, for years, vexed courts, public officials, the media and citizen watchdogs: Are electronic communications — emails, voicemails and texts — on private...more
In a major development impacting all public entities subject to the California Public Records Act (Gov. Code § 6250 et seq., hereafter “CPRA”), on March 2, 2017, the California Supreme Court unanimously held that public...more
On March 2, 2017, the California Supreme Court ruled in City of San Jose v. Superior Court that where a public employee uses a personal email account or texts to communicate about the conduct of public business, those...more
“In civilized life, law floats in a sea of ethics,” the late Earl Warren, who served as a U.S. Supreme Court chief justice and as California attorney general and governor, stated in a 1962 speech. In a closely related sense,...more
Decision Expected Soon from California Supreme Court - Public agencies in California should prepare for the likelihood that communications on officials’ and employees’ private devices related to the agency’s “conduct of...more
Fourth in a series by BB&K Partner Ruben Duran for the Southern California Latino Policy Center Newsletter* Sometimes, it just happens. Tragedy strikes. Disaster hits. Whether self-inflicted or supernaturally caused,...more
Fourth in a series by BB&K Partner Ruben Duran for the Southern California Latino Policy Center Newsletter* Congratulations, Ms. or Mr. Newly-Elected Public Official, and welcome to the world of local government and...more
In The Times News Publishing Co. v. The Alamance-Burlington Bd. of Education, No. COA15-99 (July 21, 2015), the Court of Appeals considered the intersection between the State's Open Meetings Laws (N.C.G.S. 143-318.9, et seq.)...more
Second in a series by BB&K Partner Ruben Duran for the Southern California Latino Policy Center Newsletter* ¡Aguas con el Tech! While the use of technology by elected officials in California may not exactly be...more
“No estés chillando, C@#$0n.” Loosely translated, and with the recipient of that message “BLEEP-ed” to make it G-rated, the quote above means “Don’t be such a crybaby!” Or, as George Lopez might ask: “Why you crying!?”...more
As the new year begins, many around California are embarking on a new endeavor: Serving for the first time on a city council, school board or other public agency board or commission. Those newly elected this past November are...more
Overview: A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge recently ruled that the California Public Records Act (PRA) required government agencies to disclose communications relayed through the privately-owned personal devices of...more
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge recently ruled that emails and text messages concerning city business but stored on a public official’s personal device are subject to the Public Records Act (PRA). The PRA request at...more