Standards

Press credentials

Where we’ve applied for credentials, what California’s right-of-access law already gives us, and how to verify our credentials at the door.

Status: Draft, needs human review — not yet assigned to a reviewer. All policies will be reviewed by a California media-law attorney before launch.

Status

This policy is a first draft. Specific application dates, badge numbers, and contact names will be filled in during the launch sprint.

California right of access

California Penal Code §409.5(d) and §409.7 (as amended by SB 98 in 2021) explicitly cover online news services and freelance digital journalists at fire lines, police lines, and protests. "Duly authorized representative of a news organization" includes a journalist authorized by their own outlet — Pier and Point self-authorizes its reporters.

The Brown Act (Government Code §54950 et seq.) gives us — and the public — access to all City Council, Board of Supervisors, and other covered public meetings, regardless of credentials.

The recodified California Public Records Act (Government Code §7920.000 et seq., 2023) governs public records requests. Agencies must provide an initial response within 10 days. We log every request with the date sent and the statutory deadline.

Local credentials

Pier and Point has applied for credentials with:

Ventura Police Department. Application filed date TBD. Processing typically takes several weeks.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Application filed date TBD.
Los Angeles Press Club. Press ID applied for date TBD. Recognized broadly across Southern California venues.

A local agency credential is not legally required for the access we’re entitled to under SB 98 and the Brown Act, but the credential matters at the margin for non-emergency briefings and ride-alongs.

Hotlines and resources

We are registered with the free legal hotlines at:

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP).
California News Publishers Association (CNPA).

Both are first calls in the event of a demand letter, an access dispute, or a court order.

Credential verification

If you are an agency PIO or event organizer and need to verify a Pier and Point reporter’s credentials, email press@pierandpoint.com with the reporter’s name and the event. We will respond.