CalWatchdog Morning Read – July 8

08 Jul, 2016 by CalWatchdog Staff

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Judge rules against Hayward’s exorbitant public records fees
Hugh Hewitt endorses Democrat in U.S. Senate race
That Democrat is still trailing in the race
Dems run from lawmaker under restraining order for domestic violence
Political Reform Act to soon get overhaul
Gov. Brown in talks with oil companies over environmental legislation

Good morning! It’s Friday — we made it.

A Bay Area judge recently ruled against the city of Hayward and its police department for charging exorbitant fees for public records.

The case stemmed from the National Lawyers Guild’s request for footage from officers’ body cameras as they helped patrol a contentious overnight Black Live Matters protest in Berkeley on Dec. 6-7, 2014 — a request police complied with after the guild paid $3,247.

Police justified the high cost by saying the footage had to be carefully examined and redacted.

CalWatchdog has more.

In other news:

Loretta Sanchez, the Orange County Democratic Congresswoman, secured yesterday another high-profile Republican endorsement in her bid for U.S. Senate: Conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. The Huffington Post has more.
Sanchez is still trailing in polls, however. Democratic Attorney General Kamala Harris is still on top after her first place finish in last month’s primary, leading a new Field Poll 39 percent to 24 percent for Sanchez. The San Jose Mercury News has more.
After being placed under a three-year restraining order by a judge for domestic violence allegations and subsequently being stripped of his committee assignments, Assemblyman Roger Hernandez has fallen on hard times. Now, at least six fellow Democratic lawmakers have revoked their endorsements of Hernandez’s bid for Congress. The Los Angeles Times has more.
“After 42 years of regulating the state’s political ethics, with countless updates and tweaks, the Political Reform Act is due for an overhaul — and stakeholders are set to begin the process next week,” writes CalWatchdog.
“Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration has been talking directly with oil companies in hopes of reaching a consensus on extending California’s landmark climate programs, opening a back channel with an industry the governor has harshly criticized as a barrier to addressing global warming,” writes the Los Angeles Times.

Legislature: