Yakima Herald-Republic Editorial on Teacher Union Email Case

The Yakima Herald-Republic writes this editorial about the recent ruling that teacher union emails on Seattle School District computers are somehow not "public records." Says the editorial:

"Frankly, we grow weary of these constant back door attacks on the integrity of the state's open records law. A special 'Sunshine Committee' is actively reviewing some 300 exemptions to the law that have been approved by the Legislature over the years with an eye toward keeping those that are justified and recommending repeal of those that are not.

"While that's going on, the public certainly doesn't need any more exemptions added by judicial decree -- especially in what would appear to be a clear misinterpretation of the law that shields union activity conducted with public facilities and equipment."

For more background on the ruling, see this, this, this, and this.

TNT Editorial on Taping Bill

The Tacoma News-Tribune writes this editorial about all the fuss over recording executive sessions. It notes that a $100 digital recorder would do the trick.

Tacoma City Council Debates Taping Bill

This blog posting by Jason Hagey of the Tacoma News-Tribune describes the Tacoma City Council's debate about the taping bill. The debate cogently presents many of the arguments for and against the bill and is actually pretty interesting--something that you usually can't say about a city council debate.

Taping Bill Apparently Dead

Fueled in part by concerns about reel-to-reel tapes taking up too much space in government buildings (?!), it looks like the bill to require the recording of executive sessions is dead. It didn't make it out of a key legislative committee. This story in The Olympian explains it all.

Here, too, is a story on the bill's apparent demise from The (Vancouver) Columbian.

We say the bill is "apparently" dead because no bill is dead until the final gavel falls at the end of session.

Ladenburg To Run for AG Against McKenna

The Tacoma News-Tribune reports that Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg is announcing his candidacy for state Attorney General against Rob McKenna.

On open-government issues, this one isn't even close. Pierce County under John Ladenburg has an absolutely awful record on open-government.

"Excuse Me Young Man, Which Aisle Are the Reel-to-Reel Tapes In?"

OK, this is crazy. A Thurston County commissioner says in this story from The Olympian that the bill to require recording of executive sessions will require "added staff and equipment and creates tape storage problems."

Tapes? Huh?

Storage problems? A digitial recorder costs about $50 at Office Depot and is the size of a Snickers bar. The only way to have "storage problems" and need additional staff and equipment is if the county tapes the meetings on a reel-to-reel. Do they even make those any more?

If the county needs additional staff to digitially record the meetings, my 12-year old can easily do so. On her iPod she has all the Harry Potter audio books and about a trillion (bad pop) songs--and all of this fits on a something the size of a pack of cards.

UPDATE: Dave Seago, editorial writer for the Tacoma News-Tribune, writes this piece entitled "Taping a Meeting: How Hard is That?" and mentions this og-blog posting.