David Cuillier Comments on State Secrecy and Conflict of Interest Disclosure

David Cuillier, director of the Brechner Freedom of Information Project, is quoted in “’I Like Mexicans’ Omitted from San Fran State Crime Announcement” published in The College Fix on Feb. 14.

The article focuses on the actions of officials at San Francisco State University who won’t explain why they redacted a witness statement to the police concerning purportedly offensive graffiti discovered on campus.

According to Cuillier, “Oddly, [California] is one of the most secretive states in the nation when it comes to the ability for people to find out what police are up to. I think a big part of that is there is a strong culture of privacy protection in California, and it is well-intentioned, but it goes too far.”

“Of all agencies, police should be the most transparent. They have the ability to detain you, jail you, and even kill you,” he said. “That kind of power demands accountability, and the ability for people to see what they are doing, including through police reports.”

Cuillier was also quoted in “The Secret Sauce” published in Salt Lake City Weekly on Feb. 14. The article focuses on how Utah lawmakers disclose, or don’t disclose, conflicts of interest.

According to Cuillier, elected officials should be as upfront as possible about their finances. Privacy regarding personal finances is something elected officials sacrifice when they choose to run for office.

“Those sorts of things, we should know that, otherwise we’re going to have a really corrupt government—even more corrupt than what people suspect,” he said. “Every penny should be reported. We should know what they’re up to because they’re our servants, we’ve elected them to do the public’s job. If they’re being influenced by certain forces for money, then we should know that.”

Posted: February 14, 2024
Category: Brechner Center, College News
Tagged as: Brechner Freedom of Information Project, Conflict of Interest, David Cuillier, public records, State Secrecy