Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orange County have lost another public records lawsuit battle.
A judge ruled Monday the county's cloud-based file sharing system called "Dropbox" is part of the public record.
The political watchdog group known as Organize Now filed the lawsuit in September claiming the county continued to block access to 'Dropbox' records. In court, it was revealed that the county provided the group with a log book for the Dropbox account, but information like IP addresses were redacted, so no username or identity was ever revealed. Judge Robert Egan ruled in the group’s favor, requiring the county to release those requested records.
In his order Eagan said:
"The IP addresses at issue here are public records and do not qualify for any exemption from disclosure set forth by Orange County. Accordingly, they should be disclosed and Plaintiffs Emergency Complaint Seeking Declaratory Relief is hereby GRANTED."
The county responded to the order, saying:
"We don't agree with the decision... Internet Protocol (IP) addresses control everything from the cameras at the courthouse to the locks on the jails."
But Organize Now insists the First Amendment trumps that.
"It's really highlighted the lack of transparency at local levels," said Laura Johns with Organize now. "Also with new technology that comes up, text messaging, Dropbox that our elected officials need to understand that everything that they do and people that they communicate with are public record when it relates to county business."
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, who is also listed as a defendant in this lawsuit, is not commenting about the judge's order. The county has 30 days from Monday to produce records to Organize Now.