Watchdog Group Sues to Force UC Davis to Turn Over Public Records

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Diana Lambert, Sacramento Bee, August 19, 2016

A consumer group filed a lawsuit against the regents of the University of California on Wednesday alleging UC Davis is withholding public records the group needs for research, according to a complaint filed in Yolo Superior Court.

The complaint by U.S. Right to Know, a nonprofit group “pursuing truth and transparency in America’s food system,” according to its website, alleges that UC Davis staff members haven’t fulfilled its California Public Records Act requests, some sent as long as 18 months ago.

California law allows citizens, as well as the media, to obtain or inspect records from state agencies without unreasonable delays or obstruction.

“These are public records with taxpayers paying for them,” Gary Ruskin, U.S. Right to Know’s co-director, said Thursday. “There is no excuse at all for delaying replying for a year and a half. What are they hiding and why are they hiding it?”

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