Source: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/good-government/sunshine/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 03:10:00+00:00

Document:
“Light and liberty go together,” Thomas Jefferson wrote. From its very outset, the American experiment in democratic self-government has acknowledged that its success depends on people’s right to know what their government is doing.
San Francisco’s Sunshine Ordinance reflects the abiding imperative of open government with local enhancements to state and federal guarantees “to assure that the people of the City remain in control of the government they have created.” (S.F. Admin. Code § 67.1(f)) Originally enacted in 1999, the Sunshine Ordinance expands public access to local government meetings, information and records, and authorizes groundbreaking innovations to better implement and more stringently enforce open government policies.
It may seem paradoxical, given the City Attorney’s many duties to protect Sunshine, that the office also has some of city government’s most complex obligations to protect privacy and confidential information, where the law requires. But it’s really no paradox: both duties are manifest in the City Attorney’s role as legal counsel to San Francisco’s local government. When making a Sunshine request to the City Attorney’s Office, in fact, it may be helpful to know in advance that legal restrictions apply to many City Attorney records.
One common prohibition from disclosure is called “attorney-client privilege,” which refers to communications from lawyers to their clients concerning law-making, litigation and other legal matters. Multiple provisions of state and local law exempt attorney-client communications from disclosure (see: S.F. Admin. Code §67.21(k); Cal. Gov’t Code §6254(k); and Cal. Evidence Code §954). For lawyers, in fact, the attorney-client privilege is non-discretionary. Clients alone hold the privilege, in the private and public spheres alike, and attorneys have no authority to waive it.
Another category of records subject to withholding is called “Attorney Work Product,” which refers to writings “that reflect an attorney’s impressions, conclusions, opinion, or legal research or theories.” These records are exempt from disclosure under: S.F. Admin. Code §67.21(k); Cal. Gov’t Code §6254(k); Cal. Code of Civil Pro. §2018.030; and Cal. Gov’t Code §6276 and §6276.04.

References: § 67
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 §6254
 §954
 §67
 §6254
 §2018
 §6276
 §6276