Our latest edition of San Diego Explained tackles how to get public information from state and local government. Here’s the clip:
A few follow-up notes and resources:
NBC 7/39’s Catherine Garcia and I appeared at the San Diego City Clerk’s Office to explain a hypothetical example: How information about potholes repairs could be obtained by requesting public records. We didn’t actually request records, but I did use the Public Records Act for this story about potholes last year. You can find a copy of the letter I sent city officials to get the information here. (I redacted my cell phone number from the document to avoid online spammers.)
For more background on getting public records, or to see more examples of letters to government agencies, you can find a wealth of knowledge on websites for the First Amendment Coalition, Californians Aware, the National Freedom of Information Coalition, the California Attorney General’s Office and local governments.
— KEEGAN KYLE