Is the Sun Shining on Local Government?

Muriel Fagiani, Napa's iconic government watchdog who passed away in 2010, was a tireless advocate for more citizen access to information about what public officials were "up to," as she sometimes put it.

We like to think Muriel would approve of Sunshine Week, a national initiative launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors to educate the public about the importance of open government.

Here at Napa Patch, we want to use this opportunity to celebrate, converse, comment, debate and educate the 94558 about the importance of open government and the public’s right to know what government is doing and why. 

This year's Sunshine Week, funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation of Miami, is co-sponsored by ASNE and the Reporters Committee For Freedom of the Press and many other media industry partners, including Patch. The goal is to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. 

In California, there are two acts that provide open access to public meetings, The Brown Act and The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.  We also have the California Public Records Act that gives citizens access to all kinds of public information that is useful to communities.

Here in Napa, most regular city and county government meetings are open to the public as well as streamed live on the internet, with video archives available on demand. In advance of meetings, agendas with links to supporting documents are posted online and paper copies provided at municipal offices.

But the county planning commission has recently been accused of disregarding the Brown Act regarding open meetings, by the attorney husband of a county office-seeker.

So here are two things about which we'd like to hear from you:

• Do you know any Napa residents who have championed local government transparency? The Sunshine Week organization is holding a national Local Heroes contest and nominations are due this week. Use this form to submit nominations. 
• Have you faced any challenges with government transparency in our town, whether at City Hall, the  or elsewhere? Share your stories below in the Comments section or email me at louisa.hufstader@patch.com and I'll share them with our community.
• Are there any policy you'd like to see our local government agencies institute to improve transparency? Post them in the comments section below or email me at louisa.hufstader@patch.com.