Hosts Scott Lewis, Andrew Keatts and Sara Libby tore in to Senate Bill 615 this week. SB 615, which is being pushed by Sen. Ben Hueso and City Attorney Mara Elliott, and would make it harder for the public to hold government officials accountable for violating the Public Records Act. And it could potentially make the process more expensive for citizens.
In an interview with KPBS, Hueso said the bill is a response to increased requests by the public for records. He also said it aims to decrease incentive to sue the government. What ensues on this podcast is a high-decibel discussion by our hosts.
If you didn’t see it yet, attorney Felix Tinkov wrote an opinion piece about the bill this week. Elliott also published an op-ed laying out her case for it.
Documents Reveal Government Is Tracking Journalists and Advocates at the Border
We called NBC 7’s Mari Payton to talk about a big story she helped break this week.
A Department of Homeland Security employee leaked documents to NBC 7 that show how the U.S. government has been tracking journalists, advocates and an attorney who were in some way tied to the migrant caravan that arrived in late 2018. The documents show that DHS is tracking U.S. citizens as potential targets — many of whom experienced extra scrutiny as they crossed the border. Some had their SENTRI passes revoked or had alerts placed on their passports.
This interview starts at minute 29.
Heroes of the Week
We didn’t include a hero section during the show this week, but if we did, it would go to Andy and Sara for getting Scott to say, “I was wrong” about the O.B. Pier.
This happens around minute 3. And we think you’ll like it. Andy and Sara sure did.
Some Housekeeping
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