BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
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41 (Ting)
As Introduced March 3, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Rules |9-0 |Gordon, Chang, | |
| | |Campos, Cooley, | |
| | |Dodd, Jones, Mayes, | |
| | |Rodriguez, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Designates March 15 through March 21, 2015, as Sunshine
Week and encourages all Californians to participate in appropriate
activities relating to open government and access to public
information. Specifically, this resolution makes the following
legislative findings:
1) California has a long tradition in support of open government
and access to government records and in 1968, California
enacted the California Public Records Act that expressly
declared that "access to information concerning the conduct of
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the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of
every person in this state."
2) In 1953, California enacted the Ralph M. Brown Open Meetings
Act guaranteeing the public's right to attend and participate
in local governing bodies.
3) In 1967, the Bagley-Keene Open Meetings Act was adopted by the
state to mandate open meetings of state agencies, boards, and
commissions.
4) California voters approved Proposition 59, a state
constitutional amendment, also known as the "Sunshine
Amendment," in 2004 that furthers open government protections
and the rights of voters.
5) Open government reforms continue to spread across the country,
including the adoption of open data policies to urge innovation
and economic development through the use of high-value
government data.
6) California entrepreneurs created the information technology
revolution and are creating opportunities for government to use
technology to improve performance, transparency, and trust.
7) With an inaugural grant from the Knight Foundation, American
Society of News Editors launched Sunshine Week in March 2005,
and it continues to be celebrated each year in mid-March to
coincide with National Freedom of Information Day and President
James Madison's birthday on March 16; and although originally
created by journalists, Sunshine Week is about the public's
right to know what its government is doing and why.
8) Sunshine Week is now a national initiative to promote a
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dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of
information. Participants include news media, civic groups,
libraries, nonprofit entities, schools, and others interested
in the public's right to know.
9) Sunshine Week is increasing public awareness and people are
playing more of a role in the actions that affect their
communities. People are learning what kinds of information
they have a right to see, how and where to obtain that
information, and what to do if someone tries to prevent them
from accessing it.
FISCAL EFFECT: None
Analysis Prepared by:
Nicole Willis / RLS. / (916) 319-2800 FN: 0000047