The price of a good story
Public documents are a crucial part to our stories. They are also a pain in the butt to request, pick up and then pay for. Take my story on Aaron Raigoza, for example. Here's a guy that police are considering a person of interest in the murder of his estranged wife. So, after going to the crime scene yesterday in Monterey Park and coming up basically empty handed, Crime Scene blogger and City Editor Frank Girardot told me that he got a tip that the divorce records should be revealing. Well, why not, I figured. I was already in Montery Park, and downtown LA was only 10 minutes away.
Getting there was easy enough, and finding a $20 parking spot across from the Superior Court was simple -- although I hate paying that much for parking. Even finding the documents, the money quote and revealing information was easy. After I scribbled down my notes from the case, I just needed to make copies. I figured it would be 25 cents a page, which is already significantly more than most cities charge. I think the average is about 15 cents a page, which I still consider too much. But when I asked the records clerk how much copies were, she said it was 50 CENTS A PAGE! Now, state law says that cities cannot charge more than the direct cost of duplication fees for agenda packet items, such as staff reports.
Brown Act, Section 54954.1:The legislative body may establish a fee for mailing the agenda or agenda packet, which fee shall not exceed the cost of providing the service.
But I'm not sure how that applies to other entities, such as the California Superior Courts.
Obviously, I am biased here, but I believe that all municipal and state agencies should waive the copying fees for journalists. (With the recent issue of what constitutes a journalist, I know that raises a whole other can of worms.) Our stories serve the public's interest. I can't tell you how many times I have delayed in picking up public documents simply because I don't want to front the money. I have outstanding requests today in three seperate SGV cities, totalling about $100. If the cities would just waive those fees, we would see the stories in the paper that much faster. But some of these stories wouldn't be so flattering, so I could understand why they would gouge me every chance they get.
Jennifer...
I sure do hear the frustration in your post as to how difficult it can be to obtain clearly public records. You might find it interesting that the press is usually treated "better" than the average citizen looking to review records. Illegal requirements, heavy copy costs and bureaucratic delay are all standard operating procedure for many of the local cities. I sure don't get it?...it seems to me that quickly and efficiently providing the public records would serve most cities well by eliminating the often cited feeling that they are "hiding" something. Keep pushing and remember they do have the power to waive copy fees for anyone. I would ask, everytime, for a waiver in the interest of the public's right to know.