Hi!  I just wrote a cover story in the weekly alternative paper in San
Francisco for their annual FOIA issue with suggestions for
implementing enhanced transparency of local government - We already
have an extremely strong sunshine ordinance that prohibits exemptions
on operational, draft or deliberative privileges and waives attorney
client privilege on open gov matters.

I'd love feedback on the idea's I suggested!

"FOI: More sunshine -- easily and at no cost Technology can allow the
city to take a huge step forward in public access -- right now"

http://tinyurl.com/25n5f5

Thanks Kimo!

Just blogged about your piece:

http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/03/14/re-envisioning-transpar...
Re-envisioning Transparency in San Francisco March 14th, 2008 by John
Wonderlich · No
Comments<http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/03/14/re-envisioning-transpar...>
<http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/03/14/re-envisioning-transpar...>
<http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/03/14/re-envisioning-transpar...>

Via the Open House Project
<http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/2008/03/14/re-envisioning-transpar...>Google
Group<http://groups.google.com/group/openhouseproject/browse_thread/thread/...>,
the San Francisco Bay Guardian's new cover story details an ambitious
proposal to update the city's 1999 "Proposition G" sunshine
ordinance<http://www.sfgov.org/site/sunshine_page.asp?id=31022#67_29_3>.
While the original ordinance is impressive in scope, precisely defining the
disclosure required of public information (worth a read on its
own<http://www.sfgov.org/site/sunshine_page.asp?id=31022#67_29_3>),
the Guardian's article reimagines public access enabled through
technology:

Imagine filing a complaint with a city agency and tracking the issue, minute
by minute, as it works its way through the system.

Imagine listening on your cell phone to any policy body as it meets in city
hall.

All of this is possible, today.
Blockquotes are insufficient here; this article is all substance.  I suggest
reading the whole
thing<http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=5872&catid=&volume_id=317&issu...>
.

Ok, one more:

2. Let the public do the broadcasting. All City Hall meeting rooms should
provide wi-fi (and electrical outlets), and the system ought to have enough
speed to allow bloggers or activists to upload high-quality video broadcasts
of meetings that SFG-TV can't afford to cover. It can be done using existing
services like Justin.tv, Upstream.tv, and live.yahoo.com. This would also
allow live blogging — and let people preparing to testify on an issue have
access to the Web to do research on the spot.

*Tags:* openhouseproject<http://www.theopenhouseproject.com/category/openhouseproject/>

--
John Wonderlich

Program Director
The Sunlight Foundation
(202) 742-1520 ext. 234