LIVE ZOOM: Ask a Lawyer: Accessing Public Records

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

--- CLASS WILL BE HELD VIA ZOOM. ZOOM INFORMATION WILL BE EMAILED TO REGISTRANTS PRIOR TO CLASS START TIME ---

Join a live question and answer session about accessing public records. An experienced Public Records Act attorney will be available to answer questions about how to request records from California public agencies, how the process works, the types of records subject to disclosure, and your options if the agency refuses or fails to respond. For maximum benefit, be sure to attend the class immediately preceding this Q&A session.

Please note this Q&A will focus on state agencies governed by the California Public Records Act. Federal agencies are generally governed by the federal Freedom of Information Act. For information about FOIA, see https://www.foia.gov/how-to.html, and feel free to contact the Reference desk for more information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (213) 785-2513, or https://calcountylawlib.libanswers.com/ (chat). You can also attend the Freedom of Information Day class “Panel Discussion: Public Access to Government UFO Files: Is the Truth Out There?”

Although you can listen to the class from various kinds of devices, you will need video to view the speaker(s) and any presentation materials, and will need to connect through a Zoom account to be able to participate in the written Q&A or chat features.

Presented by: Kelly Aviles

Registration fee: FREE

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice.  LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service.  The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library.  However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.

ON DEMAND: MCLE: Volunteer Training: Establishing Guardianships

Class recorded October 26, 2021

Unfortunately, many caregivers do not know how to obtain the legal guardianship necessary to adequately provide for children in their care so they can make decisions about their education, medical needs and living arrangements. If a legal guardianship is not established, these children are at significant risk of becoming part of the foster care system because there may be no other way to ensure that their basic needs are met.

Would you like to be part of the solution? This class will teach you how to help establish probate guardianships for minors whose parents can’t or won’t care for them and how to participate as a volunteer in a pro bono clinic helping complete the necessary court forms.

Earn 1.0 hour general California participatory MCLE credit: After registration, a staff member will email you the course materials, an evaluation form, and your Certificate of Attendance (usually the next business day). Register first, then watch the recording to the end and answer the questions provided in the popup to verify your attendance.

Registration Fee: Registration for this public interest MCLE is FREE through the generosity of the Estate of Joan Lavine.

Presented by:

Ylianna Perez-Guerrero, Supervising Attorney, Public Counsel

Beth Tsoulos, Senior Social Worker, Public Counsel 

Course Materials: If you would like to receive a copy of the course materials for any of the classes, including any PowerPoint used, please register at the Register Now! button for the class, provided below.

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

 

LIVE ZOOM: MCLE: Panel Discussion: Public Access to Government UFO Files: Is the Truth Out There?

Wednesday, March 16, 2022, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.


Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84488221789

Or One tap mobile :

    US: +16699006833,,84488221789#  or +14086380968,,84488221789#

Or Telephone:

    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

        US: +1 669 900 6833  or +1 408 638 0968  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 646 876 9923  or +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799

Webinar ID: 844 8822 1789

    International numbers available: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/keE0sGqkO2


Journalists, scientists, and even many members of Congress have long wondered: Is the federal government hiding information about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)? The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requires the U.S. government to disclose what it knows and what documents it has – but this general requirement is subject to many important exemptions, including national security. Join this discussion to learn about the legal realities behind the UFO controversy.   

Class covers:

  • The surprising amount of government information that has been disclosed about UFOs/UAPs, including that available from the CIA’s UFO Reading Room – thanks, in part, to the efforts of activists in FOIA litigation
  • What types of government information are subject to “classified” status, and why such information cannot be disclosed under FOIA
  • Why FOIA has a national security exemption and what it covers
  • Best practices for making a FOIA request, from both the government and requestor perspective
  • Library resources available to help you with FOIA issues

Earn 1.0 hour general California participatory MCLE credit

Presented by:

Grace Cheng, Director, Government Practice, Practical Law at Thomson Reuters,

Michael Morisy, Cofounder and Chief Executive, MuckRock

John Greenewald, Owner of The Black Vault

Registration fee: FREE

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Access to Police Personnel Files

Class recorded February 24, 2022.

Effective January 1, 2022, access to police personnel files has been expanded and modified under Senate Bill 16. This bill, among other provisions, added new categories of documents subject to disclosure. Read S.B. 16 here, and read more about the bill here.

The Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 1421, making many types of police personnel files available to anyone through a California Public Records Act request. Learn the current state of the law and how to access police personnel files.

Formerly, such records were only available through specified court procedures like Pitchess motions, which imposed stringent requirements. The new law relaxed those requirements, but implementation has been complex and there have been numerous court challenges to the law’s scope and validity.

Class covers:

  • How to access police personnel files under the new law, Senate Bill 1421
  • How Senate Bill 1421 changed existing law, including the Pitchess motion procedure
  • Why implementation of Senate Bill 1421 has been complex
  • Court challenges to the new law’s scope and validity, and what they might mean for accessing police personnel files in the future

Presented by:
David A. Katz, Managing Attorney, Katz & Associates

Course Materials: If you would like to receive a copy of the course materials for any of the classes, including any PowerPoint used, please register at the Register Now! button for the class, provided below. A staff member will email you the course materials (usually within one business day)."

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

IN-PERSON: How to Access Police Personnel Files

Thursday, February 24, 2022: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

The Legislature passed two laws in recent years which make many types of police personnel files available to anyone through a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request. In this class, learn the current state of the law on how to access police personnel files. 

Formerly, police personnel records were only available through specified court procedures like Pitchess motions, which imposed stringent requirements. However, Senate Bill 1421 set up a new system – which was modified and expanded further by SB 16, effective January 1, 2022 – that makes many such records available to anyone with a simple CPRA request. However, implementation of this new system has been complex and there have been numerous court challenges to its scope and validity.

Class covers:

  • How to access police personnel files through a California Public Records Act request
  • How SB 1421 changed existing law, including the Pitchess motion procedure
  • How SB 16 further honed the requirements of SB 1421
  • Why implementation of the new system for accessing police personnel files has been complex
  • Court challenges to SB 1421’s scope and validity, how SB 16 might affect these court cases, and what these legal challenges might mean for accessing police personnel files in the future

Presented by:

David A. Katz, Managing Attorney, Katz & Associates

Registration fee: FREE

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice.  LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service.  The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons.  For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

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