COPs Resources

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Latest News

  • Witness.org - Organization founded by Peter Gabriel to encourage people to use modern video cameras to document human rights atrocities. It was thought that they would be an appropriate partner for Citizens Oversight.
  • Maplight.org provides a fantastic resource for linking campaign contributions with votes on bills.

Background

This topic is to accumulate and organize information and resources that will be helpful to COPs participants. It is also an appropriate place to list tips and hints, as well as success stories of COPs activities. Concerns about corporate control of news media and citizen intimidation are also appropriate.

Resources

  • District Attorney of the County of San Diego, Bonnie Dumanis
    • Special Operations Division, Public Integrity Unit: 619-531-4051 (NOTE: This no longer exists)
      • Leon Schorr - Talked on the Phone.
      • Mr. O'Toole

  • Are speakers from the public required to provide their name and address in order to speak?
    • I asked this question to the State Attorney General's office, and I received a call from Ted Prim. He said that his office informally advises the public that members of the public do NOT need to identify themselves or provide their address. He said that to get an official written opinion on this issue would require a request by a member of the assembly or senate and then it would take six months to complete.

  • Dunn & Bradstreet run a website called the Selectory ( http://www.selectory.com ) the has a powerful search tool for parent companies and their subs in North America (including Mexico & Canada). An alternative site is http://www.referenceusa.com . both require paid memberships, but could prove an invaluable tool for researching board members and their spiderweb of affiliations.

  • PROP 59: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_59_%282004%29#Text Many of you may be well aware of the Constitutional Amendment known as Prop 59 that was passed overwhelmingly by voters (83%) in 2004. Prior to going on the ballot, it was unanimously passed by the Assembly and the Senate. It requires public entities to interpret the right of the public to view and receive copies of public documents broadly if it furthers a person’s right to access. It further requires any limits on public access to be interpreted as narrowly as possible. IT IS NOW A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT OF EVERY CITIZEN TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ITS GOVERNMENT (SUNSHINE LAW). It adds Article Section 3(b) to the California Constitution. This adds to the California Public Records Act (http://www.harp.org/org/cpra.htm) and The Ralph M. Brown Act (http://www.foley.com/files/tbl_s31Publications/File Upload137/1948/brown.act.pdf) which provide considerable public records access rights and limit the times when a public entity can hold meetings in secret, respectively.

COPs Administration Notes

  • COPs Video Squads - notes for logistics of creating video of governmental meetings.
  • Reporting via texting -- Interesting video on Ted.com describing how cell phone texting can be used as a means to gather information. New problem is we have too much and need a way to parse through it and decide what is important.

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Recent Articles and Media: ( Add | All Media)

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Discussion List

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Project Form edit

Project Name COPs Resources
Project Description Compilation of resources and related information useful to COPs participants.
Project Founder Raymond Lutz
Project Curator Raymond Lutz
Project Type Infrastructure Project
Project Parents COPs Program
Related Keywords
Project Status Active
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List Serve Topic
Topic revision: r20 - 12 Mar 2018, RaymondLutz
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