By Matthew Hirsch

By agreeing to make his daily calendars available to the public, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a clarion call to local government watchdogs and journalists looking to test the new Sunshine Amendment in the California state constitution. It's now open season on those appointment books that elected officials have long insisted were exempt from public records laws.

"Look, what's good enough for the governor of California is good enough for every mayor and board of supervisors head in the state," California First Amendment Coalition executive director Peter Scheer told the Bay Guardian.

Just one week after California voters approved Proposition 59, which made access to public records and meetings a constitutional right, CFAC filed a request for Schwarzenegger's daily calendars. Schwarzenegger told media organizations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 13 that he would comply with the request.

"The governor's actions symbolically state that, based on Prop. 59, the legal standards have changed and government executives who have refused to turn over their [calendars] can no longer say their records are categorically exempt," Scheer told us.

In addition to local government officials, the governor's decision also puts pressure on the state legislature, which exempted itself from the Sunshine Amendment before sending the measure to the voters. Schwarzenegger has consistently called for more transparency in the legislature – even if he's been as secretive as other state representatives.

Scheer said CFAC would support an initiative subjecting the legislature to the state Public Records Act if Schwarzenegger proposed one.

E-mail Matthew Hirsch at matthew@sfbg.com.