Inmates Can Have Public Records ... Not

The state Supreme Court ruled yesterday in Livingston v. Cedeno that jailers comply with the Public Records Act when they mail records to an inmate's prison mail box ... and then confiscate the records as "contraband." So you can have the records ... not. This Seattle Times story describes the case. Here is the majority decision and Justice Jim Johnson's dissent.

This ruling--that inmates can use the Public Records Act but that prison contraband rules then kick in--directly conflicts with the Attorney General's brief last month in another case that an inmate is not a "person" and therefore cannot use the Public Records Act.

City to Open Up Meetings to End the "Backroom Stigma"

The City of Aberdeen is considering ending their "meeting before the meeting" in a small conference room. The story is in the (Grays Harbor) Daily World. The meetings are open to the public but no one feels terribly welcome in the small room, which presumably is literally a "backroom."

Good for Aberdeen. The public won't bite. And they will probably feel more involved in their city, which is a good thing.

TNT Editorial on Televising School Board Meetings

Getting public records or access to public meetings is important, but an often overlooked piece of the open-government puzzle is providing the public with easy access to government decision making via broadcasting or webcasting.

The Tacoma School District seems to be afraid of broadcasting its proceedings on local cable. Maybe they fear Wayne and Garth will take over the cable access channel and invite Aerosmith on as musical guests.

This Tacoma News-Tribune editorial describes why the Tacoma School District should let the public into their decision making by broadcasting their meetings. Each of the District's arguments is addressed in the editorial.

The $2 Million Question Remains Secret

The Yakima Herald-Republic's attempt to obtain records about the spending of tax money was rebuffed. This story describes what happened.

ALEC Endorses Union Negotiation Transparency

The American Legislative Exchange Council, a state legislative think tank, has adopted a union collective bargaining transparency proposal of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation's. The need for transparency came to light when a Washington state public employees' union sought to shield records from the public. They lost.

Judge Denies Inmate Public Records Request

The Tri-City Herald carries this story on an inmate's request of public records, which a judge denied.