{"id":1131,"date":"2008-04-06T16:43:45","date_gmt":"2008-04-06T21:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alevin.com\/?p=1131"},"modified":"2008-04-06T16:43:45","modified_gmt":"2008-04-06T21:43:45","slug":"bad-bill-to-close-geodata-set-for-hearing-on-april-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alevin.com\/?p=1131","title":{"rendered":"Bad bill to close geodata set for hearing on April 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

The bill sponsored by Rep. Solorio, would close public access to public GIS basemap data.
\nThe bill is currently set for a hearing in the Governmental Organization committee on April 16th, and in the Local Government Committee on April 30th. The best time to stop a bad bill is when it is in committee. So the time to act is now.
\nIf you live in California, now is the time to contact your rep, and the members of the committee.
\nFind your assembly person<\/a>
\nCommittee on Governmental Organization<\/a>
\nCommittee on Local Government<\/a>
\nTell them your name, and that you oppose AB1978 — it’s important to mention the bill number. And give a few reasons you oppose the bill. Please be polite and concise — staffers talk to many constituents about many different issues.
\nHere are some facts you can use to explain why public GIS data is good, and the bill is bad.
\nIn the age of the internet, having public access to government data is important for democracy, and provides new opportunities for citizen engagement. Citizens are using public map data for a wide variety of beneficial purposes. Just a handful of examples out of many:<\/p>\n