Score one for AquAlliance!
It started back on October 7, 2014, when AquAlliance attended Glenn Colusa Irrigation District’s 10-Wells Project scoping meeting. On October 31, we asked informally for the meeting sign-in sheets.
The district’s first response was to tell us to wait a couple of weeks for a report. Anticipating delays, AquAlliance filed a Public Records Act request on November 5, 2014.
On November 7th, the district sent us the sign-in sheets but omitted the attendee contact information.
AquAlliance returned to this request on July 1, 2015 with additional questions regarding the omitted material. Both the district’s general manager and attorney declined to alter their position to comply with the Public Records Act, despite the fact that we pointed out that, “It doesn’t appear that the meeting attendees are ‘utility customers’ as defined in [government code] 6254.16.” In addition, we didn’t believe that GCID made a reasoned determination that, “…‘the public interest served by not disclosing the record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure of the records.’” Their attorney again declined to release the balance of the sign-in sheets.
Twenty days later AquAlliance filed a lawsuit in Glenn County Superior Court. Without our having to argue the case in court, GCID released the complete sign-in sheets one month after the litigation was filed. AquAlliance’s pro-bono attorney also recouped all of his costs and fees.
Click here to view the story in the Sacramento Valley Mirror (9.9.15).