Gov. Newsom signed a law compelling disclosure of emergency calls from ICE detention centers. It followed CalMatters' reporting about alleged rapes at one site.

By Thadeus Greenson A guide to help reporters understand their access rights on and around Election Day.

After placing him in a constraint device, Elk Grove police left a man in the back seat of a vehicle for 10 minutes while he yelled for help, according to a video obtained by The Bee.

California’s public record laws are focused on a basic principle: a lack of transparency hurts the public interest and leads to abuses of power.

California’s public record laws are focused on a basic principle: a lack of transparency hurts the public interest and leads to abuses of power.

Lurie pledged in 2025 to hand over his work messages. Now his office says it has none in instances where other departments readily produce them.

The law imposes mandatory detention of people after an arrest, even if they aren’t charged or convicted.

The bill would increase public access to 911 calls in immigration detention facilities. It’s now on Gov. Newsom’s desk for signature.

Reporters don’t have access to Camp East Montana, one of the largest immigration detention centers in the country. Emergency calls from the Texas facility offer a glimpse of unfolding crises faced by…

The bill comes as watchdog organizations and state officials point to documented cases of medical neglect and inhumane treatment within the state’s ICE facilities.

The First Amendment Coalition says the city refuses to release public records in the shooting death of Konoa Wilson, who was killed last year.

First Amendment Coalition's Paloma Esquivel explains why detention centers remain difficult to scrutinize and what public records can reveal about what happens inside.

Senator Lena A. Gonzalez represents the Southeast Los Angeles County cities of California's 33rd Senate District.

Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith explain how they obtained key records, and the roadblocks they encountered for reporting on deaths in ICE custody.

A transit district board member threatened defamation suits against members of the public over comments made at a board meeting. This is an attack on the First Amendment.

In 2020, a group of people detained at the notorious Adelanto ICE Processing Center launched a protest by refusing to return to their cells. GEO Group sent in an armed force that deployed chemical…

Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith explain how they obtained key records, and the roadblocks they encountered for reporting on deaths in ICE custody.

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The student press is facing a growing wave of censorship and institutional obstruction

The Los Angeles City Council is claiming ultimate authority to ban the use of any terms officials deem offensive during public meetings. It won't end there.

Most immigrant detention centers are privately run and shrouded in secrecy. A bill would make records of 911 calls from the centers public.

Most immigrant detention centers are privately run and shrouded in secrecy. A bill would make records of 911 calls from the centers public.

Vallejo must release video recordings from the August 2025 police shooting of Alexander Schumann by September 24.

The unconstitutional ban prohibits the use of the n-word and c-word. Anyone who utters these words can also be barred from future meetings.

Most immigrant detention centers are privately run and shrouded in secrecy. A bill would make records of 911 calls from the centers public.

Giving agencies more time to fill records requests would likely delay families getting details on how their loved ones died in custody.

City of San Diego Official Website

A court upheld the First Amendment right of access to court records by unsealing critical video and records of GEO Group’s use of force at Adelanto ICE facility.

The 2023 San Diego journalist of the year beat cancer for more than a decade before being diagnosed with a new tumor earlier this year; she leaves a lasting legacy in her adopted hometown.

Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely is a biopic of the First Amendment as told through the story of one of its greatest legal advocates.

Despite public outcry and public records laws, the city of San Diego never released records of the nearly two-years-old incident. A judge has ordered the city to release the records by July 17.

'The public’s right to know should not depend on inconsistent local practices or discretionary withholding,' advocates say.

A bill making its way through the California Legislature would make public records less public. It's a bad fix for an unclear problem.