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On Liberty: “… if any opinion is compelled to silence, that opinion may, for aught we can certainly know, be true. To deny this is to assume our own infallibility.” John Stuart Mill, philosopher and economist, in “Considerations on Representative Government” Let’s have a civics lesson involving the city of Stockton. I requested public records from city officials because of my concern they had not provided proper Measure A financial statements and required audits. My requests were met with a stubborn refusal to provide relevant records that must be produced under the Public Records Act. That stubborn refusal necessitated filing a lawsuit, which was settled in February 2021. The city paid my legal fees of $75,000, provided almost all of the documents requested, plus it promised to provide additional records. ....
The requirements were a willingness to write, be edited and make deadline on a monthly basis. And a dozen people answered. There are eight men and four women, ranging in age from 39 to 48. Overall the group skews older, male and does not have enough diversity. They have worked as teachers, public servants, the nonprofit sector, public safety and private business. Beginning this week, we begin publishing these columnists in The Stockton Record. You will see their content once every four weeks. Today, we feature Ellen Grant, a retired associate warden who worked for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. ....