First Amendment Coalition

FAC has urged the city attorney to disclose records related to the fatal police shooting of 16-year-old Konoa Wilson.

“The public has a right to the full story, not an edited version of it.” says FAC Legal Director David Loy to Times of San Diego.

See FAC's letter here: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2026/08/19/fac-demands-release-of-konoa-wilson-shooting-records/

Group threatens to sue San Diego for withholding records in fatal police shooting of 16-year-old boy The First Amendment Coalition says the city refuses to release public records in the shooting death of Konoa Wilson, who was killed last year.

"Nothing is more central to the First Amendment in democracy than the right to go to a board meeting and criticize public officials," says FAC Legal Director David Loy about San Joaquin Regional Transit District board member Aaron Edwards' threat to sue members of the public for defamation.

See the link in the comments for the full story >>

San Joaquin RTD faces calls to disavow board member's threat to sue residents San Joaquin Regional Transit District board member Aaron Edwards threatened to sue members of the public for defamation over public comments, prompting calls to disavow his remarks.

The SF City Attorney tried to kill reporting on a former tech CEO’s domestic violence arrest by sending a takedown letter to Substack and the reporter, Jack Poulson. With Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, FAC sued.

Our lawsuit challenged a California law that prohibits anyone reporting on an arrest report if it's been sealed by the court. Even if a reporter witnessed the arrest, or heard about the arrest through a source, they could be in violation of this law if they reported on it.

But the First Amendment protects such reporting. "One would hope that those in the city attorney’s office would know the First Amendment better,” says FAC Legal Director David Loy.

Now SF taxpayers are on the hook for some of plaintiffs' attorneys fees after the city agreed to settle the case without enforcing this unconstitutional law.

See the link in comments for the full story >>

The San Francisco Standard The page you’re looking for has moved (or never existed). Head back to where you started, or explore these possibilities below.

SB 423, the Detention Facility Transparency Act, is headed for a vote! Thank you to Asm. Wicks for passage out of Appropriations. And to Senator Lena A. Gonzalez and the Latino Legislative Caucus for prioritizing transparency.

“When families’ safety, health and wellbeing are at stake, transparency is not optional—it is urgent,” said Sen. Gonzalez. "No private contract or detention center wall should be used to hide dangerous conditions or silence people who have been mistreated inside these facilities.

"By advancing SB 423, lawmakers have sent a clear message: greater transparency is essential to exposing abuses, protecting people in custody, and ensuring meaningful accountability,” said FAC's Advocacy Director Ginny LaRoe.

See the link in comments for more >>

Senator Lena Gonzalez’s Detention Facility Transparency Act Passes Assembly Appropriations Committee, Heads to Assembly Floor Senator Lena A. Gonzalez represents the Southeast Los Angeles County cities of California's 33rd Senate District.

Journalists Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith at the have documented a record number of deaths in immigration detention and exposed systemic issues with care.

Get the story behind the headline in the Q&A linked in the comments below ⬇️

How the San Francisco Chronicle revealed the deadly toll of misdiagnoses and delayed care in ICE detention Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith explain how they obtained key records, and the roadblocks they encountered for reporting on deaths in ICE custody.

A San Joaquin Regional Transit District board member threatened defamation suits against members of the public over comments made at a board meeting. This is an attack on the First Amendment.

FAC sent a letter to the board calling the threat an "unacceptable attack on freedom of speech.” See the link in comments to read the letter >>

FAC Warns Defamation Threat Is an Attack on Free Speech A transit district board member threatened defamation suits against members of the public over comments made at a board meeting. This is an attack on the First Amendment.

ICYMI, must-read reporting by The Southlander based on previously sealed video footage. Representing FAC, The Southlander, Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice, and Los Angeles Public Press, Public Justice brought a legal motion to get this footage unsealed. This is why transparency matters.

See the link in comments for the story >>

EXCLUSIVE: Unsealed videos show GEO Group used chemical weapons to break up a sit-in at Adelanto ICE detention center In 2020, a group of people detained at the notorious Adelanto ICE Processing Center launched a protest by refusing to return to their cells. GEO Group sent in an armed force that deployed chemical weapons inside their units.

Last year, a record high of 33 people died in immigration detention. 23 more have died this year. San Francisco Chronicle reporters Ko Lyn Cheang and St. John Barned-Smith talked with FAC about the difficult work behind reporting on these deaths.

See the link in comments for the full interview >>

"No more secrecy."

Thank you Senator Lena A. Gonzalez for bringing SB 423, a bill to increase transparency over the immigration detention system. We are proud to co-sponsor this public records legislation to ensure emergency calls aren't shrouded in secrecy.

See the link in comments to see the full news conference and our op-ed in support of SB 423 >>