Editorial: Prop. 59 will ensure government openness
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 17, 2004 9:00 p.m.
Proposition 59 will help protect the simple but important right
to open government by amending the state constitution with current
open record and meeting laws.
California already requires most governmental meetings to be
public and state records to be accessible, but the legislature
could easily modify these laws at any time.
Proposition 59 modifies Section 3, Article I of the Constitution
to state, “the meetings of public bodies and the writings of
public officials and agencies shall be open to public
scrutiny.”
It also calls for broad interpretation and application of the
public’s right to access.
Finally, it adds a provision that any future restrictions on
access must identify who would be protected and demonstrate why
such privacy would be needed.
Proposition 59 does nothing to modify existing laws and
regulations. It buffers these fundamental rights from alteration by
parties who would prefer to operate in secrecy.
To make decisions about government ““ an institution
created for the people by the people ““ citizens must be
allowed to inform themselves as they, not politicians, see fit.
Limiting access serves no one.
