The latest on Mayor Kevin Johnson's lawsuit against SN&R
It was strange when Kevin Johnson sued us earlier this summer. But in recent weeks, this K.J. lawsuit saga has become even more head-scratching.
This latest weirdness began when city of Sacramento attorneys started ignoring our lawyer's emails and communications asking to allow Deadspin.com, part of Gawker Media, to intervene as a party of interest in the lawsuit. Deadspin thinks the mayor's secret emails should be public, too. Eventually, the city said no. Why should city attorneys not want Deadspin to join in this case? They didn't give us a reason.
Unacceptable—the city is supposed to be our co-defendant. And, under their obligation to the California Public Records Act, the city should be advocating for the requesters of public documents. Not for people trying to hide things.
Instead, the city attorneys are working to block our efforts. That's not how stewards of good government should operate. And, troubling, the city is inviting litigation from Deadspin with this behavior.
Meanwhile, the mayor's pro bono attorneys at Ballard Spahr are hustling to shut down our challenge by issuing generic denials and empty deadlines. But that's not going to fly in court: These K.J. emails should be public record, not City Hall secrets, and SN&R will be be filing a motion imminently that challenges the mayor's secrecy.
Anyway, Team K.J. knows this litigation is expensive. I'd like to thank the readers who have already supported SN&R's legal-defense fund (at www.gofundme.com/SNRlegalhelp). You're truly making a difference in this battle for accountability and transparency at City Hall.
This latest weirdness began when city of Sacramento attorneys started ignoring our lawyer's emails and communications asking to allow Deadspin.com, part of Gawker Media, to intervene as a party of interest in the lawsuit. Deadspin thinks the mayor's secret emails should be public, too. Eventually, the city said no. Why should city attorneys not want Deadspin to join in this case? They didn't give us a reason.
Unacceptable—the city is supposed to be our co-defendant. And, under their obligation to the California Public Records Act, the city should be advocating for the requesters of public documents. Not for people trying to hide things.
Instead, the city attorneys are working to block our efforts. That's not how stewards of good government should operate. And, troubling, the city is inviting litigation from Deadspin with this behavior.
Meanwhile, the mayor's pro bono attorneys at Ballard Spahr are hustling to shut down our challenge by issuing generic denials and empty deadlines. But that's not going to fly in court: These K.J. emails should be public record, not City Hall secrets, and SN&R will be be filing a motion imminently that challenges the mayor's secrecy.
Anyway, Team K.J. knows this litigation is expensive. I'd like to thank the readers who have already supported SN&R's legal-defense fund (at www.gofundme.com/SNRlegalhelp). You're truly making a difference in this battle for accountability and transparency at City Hall.
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