Yee revives sunshine bill for CSU, UC auxilliaries

<p>Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, reintroduced a bill Tuesday that would force campus organizations, such as the Sonoma State Academic Foundation, to comply with state open record laws.</p><p>Last year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 218 after it was approved by the Legislature. Yee reintroduced the same bill as SB 330.</p><p>Currently, the California Public Records Act applies to schools within the California State University and University of California systems. But the law does not cover the auxiliary organizations established on campus by school administrators to manage operations such as food services, donations and grants.</p><p>SB 330 would apply the Public Records Act to auxiliary organizations that perform government functions at the UC and CSU. To address Schwarzenegger's concerns, the new bill would exempt from disclosure the names of anonymous volunteers and donors who receive something valued at $500 or less in exchange for their donation or service.</p><p>The SSU Academic Foundation attracted criticism for its private loans involving former board members. Local financier Clem Carinalli, a former board member, received more than $9 million in loans from the foundation.</p><p>Carinalli, who filed the largest personal bankruptcy in Sonoma County history, defaulted on a $1.25 million loan from the foundation.</p>