The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and The Pacific Media Workers Guild call on San Francisco Supervisors to immediately restore the SF Sunshine Ordinance Task Force with pro-transparency members
For Immediate release
Contacts:
- Thomas Peele, co-chair, SPJ NorCal Freedom of Information Committee
Tpeele510@gmail.com | 510-499-4944 - Richard Knee, member SPJ NorCal Freedom of Information Committee
RAK498@Sonic.net | 415-608-9363
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists has published an open letter today calling for the immediate restoration of the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, which has been unable to meet since June for lack of a quorum. The body rules on disputes involving the Sunshine Ordinance, the city’s voter-approved transparency law. SPJ’s statement has been endorsed by the Pacific Media Workers Guild, which represents more than 500 journalists and communication workers in California and Hawaii.
“San Francisco deserves a working, robust and pro-transparency Sunshine Ordinance Task Force,” said Thomas Peele, co-chair of SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee.
Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman has said publicly that task force appointments are being delayed while supervisors seek out “pragmatic” nominees to replace incumbents seeking reappointment. Such nominees could be approved by the Board’s Rules Committee as early as next week.
“Voters approved the Sunshine Ordinance in order to ensure a transparent government,” Peele said. “The vital job of the task force is to help expose secrets; not help City Hall keep them.”
The task force hears as many as 150 appeals of denials of access involving public records and open meetings yearly, issuing guidance and resolving disputes, referring some matters to the city Ethics Commission for enforcement action.
SPJ NorCal is required by the Sunshine Ordinance to nominate two journalists, one working in ethnic media, and one attorney to the task force for two-year terms.
The Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is a long-standing institution that works to support journalists based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and cities and towns throughout the region.