12 March 2013

Sacramento Family Court News Participates In Sunshine Week 2013 - Defends Your Right To Know

Sunshine Week Promotes Dialogue About the Importance of Open Government

Hon. Robert C. Hight – Hon. Bunmi O. Awoniyi – Hon. Steven M. Gevercer – Hon. Tami R. Bogert – Hon. James M. Mize – Vance Raye - CJP Victoria B. Henley – Hon. Thadd A. Blizzard -Chris Volkers Court Executive Officer, Sacramento Superior Court, Judge Laurie Earl, Judge Jaime Roman, Sacramento County Superior Court Family Relations Courthouse, Judicial Council of California, Center for Families, Children & The Courts, Sunshine Week - Sacramento Federal Court Eastern District of California – United States Courts, US District Court Sacramento, Judge William B. Shubb, Judge Edmund F. Brennan, Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr, Judge Carolyn K. Delaney, Judge Morrison C. England Jr, Judge Gregory G. Hollows, Judge John A. Mendez, Judge Kendall J. Newman, Judge Troy L. Nunley, Judge Allison Claire, Judge Dale A. Drozd, Judge Lawrence K. Karlton, Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, United States Attorney Benjamin Wagner,
Sunshine Week is sponsored by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Bloomberg LP, the American Society of News Editors and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Sacramento Family Court News is participating in Sunshine Week 2013, a non-partisan, non-profit initiative celebrated annually in mid-March to coincide with James Madison's birthday on March 16. This year, Sunshine Week takes places from March 10-16. Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. 

Participants include news media, civic groups, libraries, nonprofits, schools and others interested in the public's right to know, according to the Sunshine Week website. For the list of Sunshine Week participants, click here. Many Sacramento Family Court News articles are based on information obtained from public records. Without public records laws, much of our most important reporting would not be possible.    

To continue reading, click "Read more >>" below.

Local Open Government Group Offers Free How-To Guide

United States District Court Eastern District of California – Sacramento Federal Court – United States Courts - Judge William Shubb - Judge Edmund Brennan - Judge Garland Burrell Jr - Judge Carolyn Delaney - Judge Morrison England Jr - Judge Gregory Hollows - Judge John Mendez - Judge Kendall Newman - Judge Troy Nunley - Judge Allison Claire - Judge Dale Drozd - Judge Lawrence Karlton - Judge Kimberly Mueller – Office of the United States Attorneys Benjamin B. Wagner Eastern District of California, Judge Robert Hight – Judge Bunmi Awoniyi – Judge Steven Gevercer – Judge Tami Bogert – Judge James Mize – Vance Raye - Victoria Henley CJP - Judge Thadd Blizzard -Californians Aware,Chris Volkers Court Executive Officer, Sacramento Superior Court, Judge Laurie Earl, Judge Jaime Roman, Sacramento County Superior Court Family Relations Courthouse, Judicial Council of California, Center for Families, Children & The Courts, Sunshine Week
Californians Aware is a statewide open government group based in Carmichael. 
In celebration of Sunshine Week, Californians Aware, a non-profit, open government advocacy organization based in Carmichael is offering - without charge through April 15 - its newly published open government guide Citizen Watchdog. The Citizen Watchdog is a how-to publication about open government rights and watchdog tactics, and includes a primer on what the state's transparency laws say and how to use them confidently and effectively. The 50-page guide is written by CalAware General Counsel Terry Francke

For 31 years, Francke has helped journalists, citizens and public officials understand and use their First Amendment and open government rights. Click here for instructions on how to obtain a copy of Citizen Watchdog.

The First Amendment Coalition provides a video about the California Public Records Act. The CPRA is the Freedom of Information law for California. 



White House Celebrates Sunshine Week  

In the spirit of Sunshine Week, the White House will highlight one initiative a day which demonstrates the Obama Administration's continued commitment to open and accessible government, according to the White House Blog. On his first full day in office, President Barack Obama issued a Memorandum on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), stating "A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency." The FOIA - which provides the public with a statutory right to request and receive information from the federal government - is a key way in which government transparency is realized. 


Support California Open Government Organizations

Sacramento Family Court News supports the First Amendment Coalition, Californians Aware, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We encourage our readers to support open government advocacy by making a donation to one or more of these groups. 

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