by Leslie Layton
posted July 14
The City of Chico has settled a lawsuit filed by a local journalist over violations of the California Public Records Act, providing the documents requested and agreeing to pay the costs of the journalist’s attorney.
The taxpayers’ price tag for the City’s non-compliance is $43,637 – which is the cost of the San Francisco attorney hired by ChicoSol contributor Dave Waddell. The City has also provided all requested records – in some cases 19 months after the requests were first made.
Waddell had requested public records related to four killings by or involving officers at the Chico Police Department; the first requests that were addressed by his lawsuit were made in November 2020.
“We wanted to access records related to four tragic shootings, and that’s what we achieved,” said attorney Aaron Field, who represented Waddell. “Hopefully this was a learning experience for all involved and will not be recurring.”