Blog Posts
February 28, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
Ten thousand record requests each year reach D.C. government agencies, invoking the iconic open government law, the D.C. Freedom of Information Act or FOIA. But the journey is needlessly difficult, open government advocates Thursday (29) told the D.C. Council. The “online portal” — using software called FOIAXpress — debuted in 2014 and advertised smooth sailing […]
February 21, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
As the D.C. charter school board prepares for a second hearing (Monday, Feb. 25) on an expanded list of items schools must post, the issue went even more public in recent days. D.C. Council heard opponents of broader public access to meetings and records — the powerful charter lobby group Friends of Choice in Urban […]
February 21, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
The Public Charter School Board (PCSB), the policy board that governs all 120+ D.C. charter schools (through 60-some local education agencies, each of which also has its own board), issued “version 2” of new rules Friday (8) for information that must be posted on each school’s website. A previous draft issued in December 2018 drew […]
February 1, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 2/5/19: Perry Stein wrote for the Post on the charter transparency topic Monday evening (4), reviewing the Charter Board proposal and hearing a week ago but adding some new voices. She reports no negative comments and even the new deputy mayor weighed in positively. She writes: “Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said the […]
February 1, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
All eyes are on the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability (BEGA) as they take on a new role overseeing the Office of Open Government. The D.C. Council changed the law last year, ending the independence of the Office and requiring its director to report to the board–five members appointed by he mayor and […]
D.C. Transparency Watch: Is MPD Body-Cam Video Redaction Out of Control?
January 8, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 1/18/19: MPD 1st District Commander Morgan Kane met with ANC6B Tuesday (15) and Larry Janezich blogged on the session for Capitol Hill Corner. He reports Kane said a total of seven officers were involved, two at the CVS where the man reported his encounter with the youths, and five members of a bike squad […]
January 1, 2019, by Fritz Mulhauser
UPDATE 1/10/19: D.C. Superior Court Judge Hiram Puig-Lugo declined Tueday (7) to dismiss the Post’s case seeking police video a traffic stop of D.C. Councilmember Trayon White Sr. in 2017. Attorneys for the District of Columbia asked that the case be tossed out, stressing White’s privacy should be protected as the public had no valid […]
Make D.C. more transparent in 2019
December 26, 2018, by dcogcadmin
December 2018 Dear Friend of Open Government: As the New Year approaches, the D.C. Open Government Coalition (DCOGC) would like to thank you for your support and commitment to enhancing the public’s access to government information and ensuring the transparency of the District of Columbia government. This past year has been both productive and frustrating; […]
December 23, 2018, by Fritz Mulhauser
MPD has acknowledged they are again investigating questionable conduct by Officer Jordan Palmer, this time regarding a street stop December 5. A man allegedly carrying an open container of alcohol was stopped, became combative and was detained by Palmer and other officers. The man was tackled in the process and broke a bone. According to […]
D.C. Agency FOIA Problems Surface with Rare Drama in Whistleblower Lawsuit
December 6, 2018, by Fritz Mulhauser
Genet Amare, an official with the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in Superior Court that — if its allegations are proved — gives a rare window on a D.C agency’s disdainful treatment of public records requests. The case has been mostly noticed as a sidebar within the story of […]
