California Online Voter Guide

11th Edition, November 2004 General Election

Proposition 59: Public Records. Open Meetings. Legislative Constitutional Amendment. Passed

Summary

Provides right of public access to meetings of government bodies and writings of government officials. Provides that statutes and rules furthering public access shall be broadly construed, or narrowly construed if limiting access. Requires future statutes and rules limiting access to contain findings justifying necessity of those limitations. Preserves constitutional rights including rights of privacy, due process, equal protection; expressly preserves existing constitutional and statutory limitations restricting access to certain meetings and records of government bodies and officials, including law enforcement prosecution records.  Exempts Legislature’s records and meetings.

Proposition 59 started as Senate Constitutional Amendment 1 and was put on the ballot for voter approval. SCA1 was passed in the state assembly with a 78-0 vote and in the state senate with a 34-0 vote. History of SCA1 - Full Text of Proposition (PDF)

Campaign Web Sites and Contact Information

• Yes on Proposition 59
  Californians Aware
  2218 Homewood Way, Carmichael, CA 95608
  (916) 487-7000 or terry@calaware.org

• No on Proposition 59
  Gary B. Wesley
  707 Continental Circle, Mountain View, CA 94040
  (408) 882-5070

Who Signed the Ballot Arguments

    Yes on Proposition 59:

• State Senator Mike Machado

• Jacqueline Jacobberger, President, League of Women Voters of California

• Peter Scheer, Executive Director, California First Amendment Coalition

• Thomas W. Newton, General Counsel, California Newspaper Publishers Association

• John Russo, City Attorney, City of Oakland

    No on Proposition 59:

• Gary B. Wesley, Attorney at Law

Follow the Money

As of October 16th, 2004, there has been no money raised to support or oppose Proposition 59.

For More Information, CVF Recommends...  

The California Secretary of State publishes the Official Voter Information Guide with both a Quick Summary and Detailed Information about Proposition 59.  

Other good nonpartisan resources include the League of Women Voters' Pro/Con Analysis and In-Depth Analysis of Proposition 59, the California Journal, the McGeorge School of Law California Initiative Review and the Easy Voter Guide.

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This page was first published on July 21, 2004 | Last updated on February 10, 2006
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