It seems there may be a delay in the unsealing of documents related to a search of Assessor Bill Postmus' offices (see below). The DA will be arguing this afternoon that certain passages should be redacted from the documents.

The DA has argued in the past that unsealing these documents could compromise their case in some way. Regardless of the redactions, there will likely be some interesting information in these documents.

11:30 a.m.: DA asking sealed Assessor documents to be redacted

By Lauren McSherry
Article Launched: 07/02/2008 11:32:08 AM PDT

The San Bernardino County District Attorney will be in court this afternoon arguing that certain passages should be redacted from documents describing a raid earlier this year on the County Assessor's office.
The documents were supposed to be released last month after a ruling by Superior Court Judge David M.Cohn, but the case, which has become the center of a debate over government transparency, has been tied up in a Riverside court of appeals.

A judge ruled Tuesday that the documents should be unsealed. Today's hearing will be held at 1:30 p.m. in Cohn's courtroom.

The Assessor's Office has become enmeshed in scandal this week with the release Monday of a Grand Jury report chronicling the department head's misuse of power. The Grand Jury inquiry spun off an investigation by the district attorney and the arrest of the assessor's top aide, who has been charged with six felonies.

Mel Opotowsky, First Amendment Coalition board member, called the situation "a smelly affair" because the documents concerning the raid were withheld from the public until after the Grand Jury issued its report.