‘ ‘The best w way ay th he to heal the community is community enter into in nto a to enter dialogue with dialogue people the people w feel feel e the t who b brun t of of police p li brunt actions.’ actions.’ It’s months It’s been nearly nearly ffour our u m onths since since the the 21-member 21-memberr panel’s panel’s first meeting, meeting, which which outlined outlined several several recommendations recommendations it hoped hoped d to give give the the Sonoma Sonoma County Count u y Board Board of Supervisors. Edmonds Supervisors. E dmon o ds is is confident confident the the task task force force will do its part. part. Once Once it makes makes its recommendations, the recommendations, th he county county will solicit input from thee aff affected solicit in put fr om m th ected organizations, organizations, then then report report back back to the the task task fforce, orce, which which will then then return return final final rrecommendations ecommen e dations to the the board board of supervisors. supervisors. “I think our think o ur rreport eport will come very come up with some some v ery good recommendations,” recommendations,” says says Vázquez, Vázquez, “but “but that’s that’s not not going going to mean mean anything anything if they’re t ey’re not th not implemented.” implemented.”
O of View Out A California Californiia court c issued issueed a ruling last last Friday that that would would let public public officials officials shield emails and text messages messaages from from public view— even traffic e if those thoose messages tr affic in official official business. business. The The Sixth District Court of Appeal ruled on a lawsuit against the city r of o San Jose Josse by a citizen who sought access to the personal emails of a thousandss of city workers. The court found found that that messages or emails not held on city city servers servers are are not subject to disclosure disclosu ure under the California California Public Records Reccords Act. Act. The Superior Court’s T Super ior Court ’s decision came c a week weeek after the Bohemian reported r on o text messages sent e Sonoma County between embattled supervisor s super visorr Efren Efren Carrillo Carrillo and Doug former o congressman and Bosco, a former congressman co-owner c of the Pr Press ess Democrat Democrat. Under the court court’s ’s ruling, those text m messages could now be withheld from from public public view. view. The case will next heard by b the California California State State be heard Supreme S eme Court. Supr C The ruling could let officials shield The official official business business fr from om public view, view, simply simply by communicating through through private email em mail or telephone accounts. accounts private The T court noted that it was up to the State State Legislature Legislature to set the rules r on public public disclosure, disclosure, and that it hadn’t hadn’t done d so. County officials offi ficials in Sonoma rreferenced eferenced the case when w they fulfilled the Bohemiann’s Feb. 28 rrequest equest ffor or ccorrespondence cor responddence between CCarrillo arrillo and and Bosco. Boscoo. “W “We We rrecognize ecognnize that the law is ccurrently cur rently unsettled u as to the public’s public ’s right rigght to access documents electronic c contained in the private electr onic files of individuals serving inddividuals ser ving in local ggovernment,” overnment,”” the county wr wrote. ote. It ccited ited City of San Jose v. Superior Courtt and added, “In light of that uuncertainty, uncertaint ty, we have also asked Mr Mr.. CCarrillo arrilloo to . . . pr provide ovide us with any a docum documents ments rresponsive esponsive to your request. request. He He has done so, and we ar aree including those documents her here.” e.” TThe he texts illuminate a close r relationsh ip between CCarrillo arrillo and relationship Bosco andd demonstr demonstrated ated that Bosco hadd worked to influence the PD’s cover ccoverage age of pet issues. —TTom om o Gog Gogola gola The Bohemian Bohemia an started as The Paper Paper in 1978. 1978.
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been doin doing g enough enough community community o utreach to get people peop ple involved,” involved,” outreach h ays. Th sk fforce orce w as just hee ssays. Thee ta task was aapproved pproved to start a Facebook Facebook pag (Sonoma C ounty w as pagee (Sonoma County was hesitant h esitant due to potential poten ntial liability liability issues). issues). A community communit o y forum forum for for the the Community Community Engagement Engagement and and Healing Healing Subcommittee Subcommittee is is scheduled sch heduled for for April April 23 23 at Lawrence Lawrence Cook Cook Middle School. School. Information Inforrmation about about the meetings, the public public m eetings, s including including agendas, agendas, is is aavailable vailablee online online at www.sonoma-county.org/ www.sonoma-coun nty..org/ communitylocallawtaskforce. communitylocallawtaskforce.