Kelli L. Sager

Sager won a major victory for the Los Angeles Times in its struggle to cover police-involved shooting incidents in California. It's the latest in a long line of victories on this issue for Sager.

"The fight to get information about police in California has been interesting as well as frustrating at times and ultimately very rewarding," she said. "The idea that we have to fight to get information about who shoots and kills people in this state is the ultimate anathema to me."

Sager has taken multiple such cases to the state Supreme Court on behalf of the LA Times, and has watched the battle evolve over time. Police unions first balked at the concept of revealing the names of police officers in the state, and then tried to prevent information from being released specifically about officers who had been involved in shootings and most recently tried to get a restraining order stop the LA Times from publishing information found in investigation background files created by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

"The background files showed they were hiring people that didn't meet their own specifications," Sager said. Sager defeated the restraining order and got rid of the rest of the case with a SLAPP motion, which was affirmed by a state appellate panel. She also recovered attorney fees and costs from the plaintiffs.

"They're spending how many hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight these battles that could be used to help police and their families, particularity after they retire," she said. "Instead it's going to prevent the public from getting information."

- Joshua Sebold