California Proposition 59 (2004)

Proposition 59 was a proposition in the state of California on the November 2, 2004 ballot. It passed with 9,334,852 (83.4%) votes in favor and 1,870,146 (16.6%) against.

It was a legislative constitutional amendment intended to make the content of government meetings and writings more accessible to the public. It was approved for the ballot by the California Assembly by a vote of 78-0 and by the California State Senate by a vote of 34-0.

Official summary

Measure amends Constitution to:
* Provide right of public access to meetings of government bodies and writings of government officials.
* Provide that statutes and rules furthering public access shall be broadly construed, or narrowly construed if limiting access.
* Require future statutes and rules limiting access to contain findings justifying necessity of those limitations.
* Preserve constitutional rights including rights of privacy, due process, equal protection; expressly preserves existing constitutional and statutory limitations restricting access to certain meetings and records of government bodies and officials, including law enforcement and prosecution records.Exempts Legislature's records and meetings.

Summary of Legislative Analyst's Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:
* Potential minor annual state and local government costs to make additional information available to the public.

[Category:California ballot propositions|59]