#government-transparency

#government-transparency

The students are learning that the federal government and every state have laws establishing the public's right to request and receive public records. It's a bedrock principle of democracy: If a government belongs to the people, so do its documents.

They're trying to get as many eyes on [the Epstein Files] and as much public awareness, knowledge, and understanding of this as possible. They built something that the public can use directly, rather than having it be intermediated by journalists, basically having it be in a format that so many people use in their everyday life.

The previous council voted the raises into law without a single public hearing and without reviewing the salaries of any similar elected positions. This process or lack thereof, eroded the public trust and inspired several of us here to run for office.

This year's winners truly embody the best of journalism and free expression. Their courage and tenacity uncovered critical stories that demanded to be told. Last year saw relentless attacks on journalists and the media from our government and others, but these winners show good reason for optimism about the future of free expression and a free press.

We noticed strange IP activity that took place yesterday from two IP addresses. The activity included combing through certain files pertaining to the Epstein investigation.

The Palo Alto Unified School District will pay former Superintendent Don Austin $596,802 in exchange for his resignation, according to a settlement agreement obtained by the Post today (Feb. 24). The payments add up to 17 months of his salary. This includes his $35,106 monthly paycheck through June 30, a $331,272 payment on Aug. 1, and a $90,000 payment on Jan. 15.

The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Academy winter training session begins Feb. 24. This hands-on program teaches community members essential disaster preparedness skills, including fire safety, first aid, search and rescue and emergency response tactics. The CERT Academy includes three in-person evening sessions, one online evening session and one final in-person daytime skills exercise. All in-person sessions will be held at the Campbell Community Center, 1 W. Campbell Ave. To register, visit https://bit.ly/4tsjWNX

Badenoch said that Labour Cabinet members are "terrified of losing their own jobs" as it is "only a matter of time" when Starmer will be gone. Badenoch told Sky News, "I think that all that's happened is his MPs have given him a stay of execution because they are terrified of losing their own jobs. His party leader in Scotland, who doesn't rely on Keir Starmer for his job, said the quiet bit out loud that the prime minister should resign.

The demand comes after attorneys unearthed a memo this week revealing that the city had been preparing for lawsuits related to air quality effects in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The memo, obtained by amNewYork, was uncovered by attorneys who have long been pushing the city to release documents related to post-9/11 air quality, some of whom were at Thursday's press conference, where Brewer and Menin made their demands.

OAKLEY - An elected city councilman here has been effectively cut off from City Hall - barred from contacting the city manager or staff, stripped of access to his government email and routed through the city attorney for nearly all official business - following an investigation whose most critical findings the city has not made public. The extraordinary restrictions on Councilman George Fuller, which carry no expiration date and could last until his term ends in 2028, have alarmed civil liberties advocates

Gov. Gavin Newsom had a scheduled call with Mark Lashier, the chief executive of Phillips 66 months after the oil giant announced it would shut down a major Los Angeles refinery following the governor's signing of new regulations on oil and gas facilities as he pushed to end California's reliance on fossil fuels. Within days, Newsom's administration pivoted. State officials unveiled a plan to boost oil drilling and imports in California and put on hold a refinery profit cap the governor had previously championed.

Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now-after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.

No 10 normally holds two briefings on most days that parliament sits to allow the lobby political journalists that cover Westminster to question the prime minister's official spokesperson. But in an email on Thursday, Tim Allan, Downing Street's executive director of communications, said there would be no afternoon briefings from next month. He said No 10 would instead hold occasional afternoon press conferences with ministers, as well as technical briefings with officials.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is leading the charge to defend Miami Dade College in higher court from allegations it violated the state's Sunshine Law, raising the stakes in a case involving Donald Trump's presidential library that could have sweeping implications for the future of government transparency.

Santa Clara County residents should vote "no" on Measure A, the 5/8ths-of-a-cent sales tax for a variety of reasons. First, this tax was conceived behind closed doors with no public discussion about whether it's needed. The tax was rolled out two days before the Board of Supervisors voted to put it on the ballot, which isn't enough time to let the public digest the pros and cons of the measure.

Several government oversight websites went down - and with them, access to watchdog reports and required hotline and whistleblower links - as of Wednesday morning as the White House Office of Management and Budget has moved to withhold funds from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE. "Due to a lack of apportionment of funds, this website is currently unavailable," the CIGIE website states.

Government agencies operate under public scrutiny, with every communication and decision potentially subject to review. Transparency is essential for maintaining trust between citizens and institutions, but achieving it in the digital age presents new challenges. With most interactions now taking place online-through websites, social media platforms, and digital collaboration tools-agencies need reliable ways to capture, store, and retrieve these records. Archiving software has emerged as a practical solution, giving agencies the ability to document their digital footprint accurately and respond quickly to information requests.