California Archives - Checks and Balances Project

Seitz’s Use of Special Counsel Report Raises More Questions in Ohio

2018-05-15

On May 4, we sent a letter to Ohio House Speaker Kirk Schuring and asked him to release the Special Counsel’s Report on Sexual Harassment and other documents. But Rep. Seitz responded to our reporting with his own letter.

“Elected Officials in Bakersfield and Kern County are Becoming Poster Kids for Secrecy and Evading Simple Records Requests”

2018-05-11

If there is nothing in elected officials’ texts messages to be concerned about, wouldn’t it be simpler and more cost effective for members of the Bakersfield City Council and Kern County supervisors to allay concerns and release them? Why work so hard to keep them hidden? Perhaps soon citizens will find out.

Bakersfield by the Numbers: What We Know and Don’t Know About the City Council’s Secret Meetings to Kill Homeowners’ Access to PACE

2018-04-30

The City of Bakersfield continues to refuse to fulfill our lawful records requests, keeping the public in the dark about council members’ backroom dealings with powerful Realtor lobbyists to kill Property Assessed Clean Energy.

City Attorney: Bakersfield Spent Over $12,000 Fighting Public Records Request on Vote to Kill PACE

2018-04-9

Bakersfield City Council members could have saved taxpayers thousands of dollars in lawyers and staff costs if they had just agreed to “cure and correct” their alleged Brown Act violation and hold a full public revote on the PACE program last year.

Kern County’s Claims That Behind-the-Scenes Meetings to Kill PACE Didn’t Happen Undercut by Lobbyist’s Subpoenaed Records

2018-03-17

Jimmy Yee’s records detail extensive contact with Kern County officials and point strongly in the direction of a public records act violation and state-prohibited “serial” meetings.

Kern County District Attorney’s Look Into “All Allegations” Should Include Brown Act Violations

2018-02-22

As the District Attorney starts her probe, we encourage her to ensure that any money from the now-infamous “political cover” grant application by the Bakersfield Association of Realtors (BAR) was used properly.

Records Suggest Bakersfield City Council Members Had Illegal “Serial Meetings” to Kill Homeowner Access to Popular PACE Financing

2018-02-15

What are Bakersfield council members still hiding about their coordination with realtor lobbyists?

California Association of Realtors Ducks Subpoena Questions About Vote to Kill PACE

2018-02-1

Despite Being a Signatory to Kim Schaefer’s “Political Cover” Grant Application, State Realtor Lobby Refuses to Give Up a Single Record of Its Lobbyist’s Communications on Issue

Realtor Lobbyists Subpoenaed for Records on Vote to Kill Homeowner Access to PACE

2018-01-17

The City and County have failed to meet some of our lawful records requests, forcing us to turn to subpoenas to enforce public access to understand how public policy decisions were reached.

Mortgage Broker Boasted of Access to Kern County Board Chair Before He Voted to Kill PACE

2017-12-6

If Kern County CA responded to our records request accurately, then the only record of Zack Scrivner actively seeking information about PACE was from Tammy Engel.