National Sunshine Week 2006 - March 12-18

March 12-18 has be heralded as "National Sunshine Week" by journalism groups, media companies, state press associations, open-government and First Amendment advocates, librarians, civic groups, and educators. More information is available at:
http://www.sunshineweek.org/sunshineweek/about

A cornerstone of California's sunshine laws is the Brown Act (CA Government Code 54950-54963). The first section of the Brown Act reads:

"In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.
The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created."
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=gov&group=54001-55000&file=54950-54963

Another cornerstone of California's sunshine law is the Public Records Act (CA Government Code 6250-6270).
The first section of the Pulic Records Act reads:

"In enacting this chapter, the Legislature, mindful of the right of individuals to privacy, finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state."
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=gov&group=06001-07000&file=6250-6270