Cal. Ruling: Public Employee Records Must Be Disclosed

This from the L.A. Times on a recent ruling by the California Supreme Court:

"The public has the right to inspect the hiring records of police agencies throughout California and to learn the names and salaries of government employees, the California Supreme Court decided Monday. In two lawsuits brought by newspapers, the state high court ruled against a state commission and unions for police and other government workers and declared that salary and hiring records should be open to the public.'Openness in government is essential to the functioning of a democracy,' wrote Chief Justice Ronald M. George, the author of both majority decisions."