Tips for the public

Getting public records begins with knowing what you are entitled to and how to go about getting help. Here are some places to start:
California Public Records Act Pocket Guide (PDF)
Primer on California Open Records (PDF)
California public records sample request letter
Federal Open Government Guide
Automated letter generator

Open government advocates provide tips and even support to the public. Some of the places to look:
California First Amendment Coalition
Californians Aware, the Center for Public Forum Rights
Open Government
Common Cause
Society of Professional Journalist: Open Doors
Sunshine Week

Data Surfer
Public Eye Team
Tom KnudsonTom Knudson, Environment & Sierra Nevada
tknudson@sacbee.com
530-582-5336
Marjie LundstromMarjie Lundstrom, Northern California & General Assignment
mlundstrom@sacbee.com
916-321-1055
Charles PillerCharles Piller, Financial Audits & Prisons
cpiller@sacbee.com
916-321-1113
Phillip ReesePhillip Reese, Computer-Assisted Reporting & Databases
preese@sacbee.com
916-321-1137
FEATURED INVESTIGATION:
OTHER INVESTIGATIONS:
1M30WILDLIFE.JPG
Two U.S congressmen – one a Republican, the other a Democrat – are calling for a congressional investigation of the federal government's wildlife damage control program.
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Like many ranchers, Bill Jensen drives a pickup, shoots a high-powered rifle and loves to talk about sheep, cattle and the outdoors. But unlike many ranchers, he no longer relies on the federal government for predator control.
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The federal government's wildlife damage control program is based on outdated science and indiscriminate tools that kill many non-target animals, including protected species, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by WildEarth Guardians, a Colorado-based environmental group.
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Bee investigative reporter Tom Knudson hosted a live chat on his look into the Wildlife Services agency, which specializes in killing animals that are deemed to pose a threat to agriculture, the public and the environment. Replay it here.
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Here, in rugged terrain owned by the American public, a little-known federal agency called Wildlife Services has waged an eight-year war against predators to try to help an iconic Western big-game species: mule deer.
wildlife
The target is most often beaver.
leghold
No tool in Wildlife Services' arsenal kills more nonselectively – or slowly – than the leg-hold trap.

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