A journalist’s seat on San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance Task Force is vacant. The task force is an 11-member policy body that monitors how well or poorly city personnel, boards, commissions, departments etc. comply with local and state open-meeting and public-records laws.
The opening is for Seat #2, which is reserved for a journalist nominated by the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter. The complete criteria for serving on the task force are set forth in Sunshine Ordinance Sec. 67.30(a). The text of the ordinance is accessible via the task force’s website, http://sfgov.org/sunshine.
Service on the task force typically involves 15 to 20 hours a month, including meetings and pre-meeting preparation. The task force normally meets the first Wednesday each month and its committees usually meet during the third week of each month. Meetings usually start at 4 p.m. Members receive no pay or expense reimbursement but are eligible for the wonderfully inexpensive health coverage offered to city personnel.
Anyone interested in serving should contact Tom Peele, co-chair of SPJ NorCal’s Freedom of Information Committee, at thomaspeele@thomaspeele.com.
Anyone wanting additional information is encouraged to contact Richard Knee, the PMWG’s California vice president and a former task force member, at rak0408@earthlink.net. Please spread the word on this.
