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GovAccess.242.ACTION ALERT! CA bill wants public info profiteers
``` Date: Tue, 9 Jan 1996 13:59:08 -0800 From: jwarren@well.com (Jim Warren) To: GovAccess@well.com Subject: GovAccess.242.ACTION ALERT! CA bill wants public info profiteers
I just received a hot call from Scrapramento.
Although this "only" concerns California, please remember that numerous other states as well as the feds often implement similar legislation after seeing it in California.
The following item is ON THE "CONSENT CALENDAR" FOR TOMMORROW. I.e., its author plans to have it passed without discussion. Immediate faxes are needed!
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Bill to Allow Jurisdictions to Peddle Public Info Svcs to Private Monopolies
Assembly Bill 185 (AB 185) by Willard Murray (D-Paramount, L.A. area) would allow Los Angeles and other major jurisdictions to sell their required public access function for their computerized disclosable public records, to the highest bidders from the private sector. Then, those government-created private-sector monopolists of the public's information -- collected by force of law and computerized at tax-payer expense -- would be able to charge whatever the market will bear for those [few] who can afford needed access.
If enacted, it means that students, schools, libraries, researchers and tax-paying citizens will have to pay a lot more than is necessary for modern access to their tax-funded local governments' public records ... if they can afford it.
Similar legislation by Give-Away Willard is what has already created last fall's fury and constitutional litigation over modern access to L.A. county's already-coputerized public civil court records - that the Los Angeles County Supervisors decided to peddle for an estimated 500-times profit over cost, just in its first year ... escalating the principle that justice is available only to those who can afford it.
The full text of AB 185, including its very recent amendments and list of all the other jurisdictions who citizens are to be similarly screwed, are available via the Calif Legislative Data Center's leginfo.public.ca.gov and the other California legislative servers (e.g., probably via sen.ca.gov's web and gopher servers, etc.)
Note: AB 185 would undo last year's SB 1296 (Leonard).
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What to Do: Fax Committee Chair and Vice-Chair RIGHT NOW, fax/916-327-5297
Due to the recent Republican take-over of the Assembly, the Richard Raimey (R-Walnut Creek) is now chairing the Assembly Local Government Committee, through which Murray is attempting to slid his give-away bill. Given the partisan warfare in the Assembly, Rainey will probably have little objection to ripping Democrat Murray's AB 185 off of the consent calendar, and at least holding honest hearings about it -- hopefully delayed to some time in the future when those concerned with it can make proper presentations.
The Vice Chair is Mike Sweeney (D-Hayward). Since he is represents the northeast chunk of Silicon Valley, he might be persuaded that governments' peddling of modern/computerized public records access to profiteering private-sector monopolists is not how the Democrats wish to "lead" us into the 21st Century.
So -- fax each of them, NOW: Hon. Richard Raimey, Chair, Local Govt. Comm., 916-327-5297 Hon. Mike Sweeney, Vice-Chair, Local Govt. Comm., 916-445-2305
At the least, request/urge (in your own polite words, one-pag max.):- AB 185 should be removed from the committee's consent calendar and given an honest, in-depth hearing.- ANY hearing of AB 185 should be postponed at least a week or two to allow organizations that advocate open government and equitable public access to the public's records to prepare their case against its passage.
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Tell Your Friends in Key Places
Pass the word to everyone you know in the Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and Walnut Creek areas -- if their care about fair, minimum-cost citizen access to their government.
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"Be More Business-Like" -- Bucks-Hustling Politicians Just Don't Get It!
During last fall's Los Angeles Board of Supervisors' hearings before they voted 4-1 in support of mega-ripoff profiteering from their computerized court records, the Board President sarcastically commented that the public tells them to be more business-like, but then objects to them profiting as much as possible from selling the public's information at whatever the market will bear.
She and Willard Murray just don't get it: Citizens want government to practice the efficiency found in business; not use their force of law and monopoly position to rip off maximum "profits" from their citizens and tax-paying, job-producing businesses that must have access to governments' public records.
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"They gave me a book of checks. They didn't ask for any deposits." -- Congressman Joe Early (D-Mass) at a press conference to answer questions about the House Bank scandal. ```
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