“The governor said his administration, Utah's delegation to Washington, D.C., and local Utah leaders weren't given any notice that a specific proposal was in the works, prompting frustration...”
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Re: GRAMA Notice of Appeal
From: GovernmentRecordsOffice DGO...
Subject: Re: GRAMA Notice of Appeal – Puente v. GOEO (IAA Grant)
Date: March 17, 2026 at 12:01:14 PM MDT
To: Joe Puente..., [GOEO Director], [Agency Counsel]
Cc: [State Auditor], [Marcus Hardy], [GOEO Records Officer], [Jon Pierpont], [Adam Duncan]
Good afternoon,
I've attached two letters that schedule an appeal hearing. If you have any questions, please let me know. I encourage the parties to work with the Government Records Ombudsman to resolve as much of the appeal as possible, especially if you are on a tight deadline. Monica Minaya's contact information is in the attachment.
Regards,
~Rebekkah
Rebekkah Shaw
Utah Department of Government Operations
Division of Archives and Records Service
Government Records Office...
Monday, March 16, 2026
Revised GRAMA Notice of Appeal
To: [Lonny Pehrson, Director Government Records Office]
Cc: [GOEO Director, Et. Al.]
Director Pehrson,
Please accept this email and the attached documents as my revised GRAMA Notice of Appeal to the Director of the Government Records Office under Utah Code §§ 63G‑2‑402 and 63G‑2‑403, regarding the March 3, 2026, decision of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) denying my records request related to an Industrial Assistance Account grant.
Attached are the following documents:
Appeal_Notice_GRO_Director_GOEO_Revised_20260316.pdfAppEx_01_20260303_GRAMA_AppealDenial.pdfAppEx_02_20260108_GOEO_Boar..JAN26_PublicNotice_1372663.pdfAppEx_03_20260210_GOEO_Board_8JAN26_Minutes_1389373.pdfAppEx_04_20260130_GOEO_Boar..o_to_Text_generated_Transcript.pdfAppEx_05_20260305_ConceptVsMotion.pdfAppEx_06_20260209_GRAMA_Request_IAA.pdfAppEx_07_20260108_AllMaterials_GOEOBoard_-_1.8.26_1372663.pdf AppEx_08_20250523_Articles_Inc..ation_NUOVO_FILM_FEST_INC.pdfAppEx_09_20260210_GRAMA_Denial_PF_PIO.pdfAppEx_10_20260218_GRAMA_Appeal.pdfAppEx_11_20260302_GRAMA_AppealFollowUp.pdfAppEx_12_20260210-20260305_GOEO_Meeting_V_Minutes.pdfAppEx_13_20260302_Response_GRAMAAppealFollowup.pdfAppEx_14_20250325_SB02_Sec1_Subsec1a_It22.pdfAppEx_15_20260128_UTStateAuditor_Info_Case_016517.pdfAppEx_16_20260218_GRAMAAppealRecieved.pdfAppEx_17_20260220_UFA_GOEO_EthicsConductEvaluation.pdf
I am simultaneously serving this Notice and all exhibits upon GOEO and the Attorney General’s Office by copying them on this email, consistent with Utah Code § 63G‑2‑403.
Please confirm receipt of this appeal and all attachments—I never received confirmation of my previous submission.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Puente…
Salt Lake City…
* * *
Subject: Re: Request for written clarification of legislative intent regarding S.B. 2 lapse provision and GOEO authority
Date: March 16, 2026 at 8:37:59 AM MDT
To: Steven Allred (Deputy Fiscal Analyst)Cc: [Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson (Executive Appropriations Chair), Rep. Val L. Peterson (Executive Appropriations Chair)][Christine R. Gilbert (Drafting Attorney/Deputy General Counsel),(State Auditor)
Mr. Allred,
Thank you for the prompt response to my previous email. However, my original questions remain unanswered. As stated previously:
I respectfully request a written response addressing:
- Whether, in your understanding... S.B. 2 permits GOEO to treat conditional Sundance funds as available if the condition precedent was not met.
- Whether a lapse provision in S.B. 2 may lawfully be ignored, bypassed, or reinterpreted by GOEO in the administration of those funds.
- If such authority is believed to exist, the specific statutory text or legal basis supporting that conclusion.
- Whether GOEO’s present course of action is consistent with the legislative intent underlying the appropriation and lapse language adopted in S.B. 2.
I would appreciate a direct written response stating whether, in your view, the Legislature intended these funds to lapse if the statutory condition was not satisfied.
Respectfully,
Joseph L. Puente
Thursday, March 12, 2026
RE: Clarification Request
Subject: RE: Request for written clarification of legislative intent regarding S.B. 2 lapse provision and GOEO authority
From: Steven Allred [(Deputy Fiscal Analyst)]
Date: March 12, 2026 at 11:01:29 AM MDT
To: [Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson (Executive Appropriations Chair), Rep. Val L. Peterson (Executive Appropriations Chair)]
Cc: [Christine R. Gilbert (Drafting Attorney/Deputy General Counsel),(State Auditor),(State Agency Counsel Division, Utah Attorney General's Office)]
Mr. Puente,
The Legislature rescinded funding for the Sundance Film Festival in "Current Fiscal Year Supplemental Appropriations" (Senate Bill 3, 2026 General Session), items 27 and 194.
* * *
“...this item takes back the appropriated funds.”
Just to be clear, the funds did not “come back,” as was stated on January 8, but the legislature has decided to take them back.
How we got here...
Originally published on Puente’s Perspective.
“This is NOT about ‘A.I.’ or the local film industry.”
When I learned about the approval of a $2 million grant for “Nuovo Film Festival, Inc.,” two things stood out to me:
The lengths to which the GOEO went to hide what they were doing.
The completely redundant goals of the project
When articles started to appear in the local media toward the end of January, most of the attention was focused on “A.I.” hype, which members of the local film community latched onto with understandable frustration. Leaders of existing film-focused nonprofits—myself included—coordinated and reached out to the Nuovo “board” requesting a meeting. As of this post, to my knowledge, nothing has been scheduled.
The way it’s been framed in the press, this $2 million grant looks like a done deal. Some of my colleagues are already trying to make their peace with it. I commented on a post in the Utah Filmmakers™ Facebook group:
While most appear to have taken a “wait and see” position, I’ve been trying to find out what’s really going on. When headlines include phrases like “...Initiative gets $2 million from state,” “Utah invests $2 million in an AI-driven film ecosystem,” and “Utah invests $2M in AI cinema,” it creates the impression that this is something that has already happened. These are “news” articles, after all. Of course, headlines are often clickbait—hyperbole and oversimplification to get more ad impressions. Then we read in the articles themselves that the grant has only been “approved” or “...in a standard detail-gathering phase before the grant award is finalized.”
Some articles refer to the GOEO specifically as the agency behind the grant, others treat it as something incidental, as if it may or may not have anything to do with the grant, or as one local writer phrased it, “Working within the context of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity…” (emphasis added, also, F#*%¡&’ really!?!) There are references to “planners,” but no one is identified by name, nor is anyone directly quoted.
As far as I could tell, only one journalist appears to have even made an effort to verify what is still, as far as the press is concerned, just an industry rumor, having reached out to the GOEO and reporting “... board members did not respond to a request for comment.”
I’m not a journalist, but I used to moonlight as a stringer for a rural weekly newspaper, and I’ve acquired a few skills in finding public information for routine due diligence.
While there is nothing on the GOEO’s official website discussing or even referring to a $2 million grant, a diligent search on the Public Notice Website for the state of Utah can yield the following results:
“1389373.docx” appears to be an automatically generated filename for the official minutes of the January 8 GOEO Board meeting—posted on February 10 and accompanying the agenda for the following meeting.
This document is the only written confirmation—but confirmation, nevertheless—that the GOEO Board unanimously approved a $2 million grant for “Nuovo Film Festival, Inc.”
Prior to February 10, the only way anyone could have learned about it would have been with a similar search yielding similar results:
“1373837.m4a” is the 50+minute audio recording of the January 8 GOEO Board meeting. The proposal, followed by a unanimous vote of approval, takes up about 12 minutes of the recording, starting around 32 minutes in.
Unlike the other items that were discussed, this was the only item lacking any information of substance on the written agenda—available on the same web page on January 6:
Perhaps none of the Board members felt the need to comment on the news since it’s all there in the official record. Short of a photo-op with a giant novelty check being handed to the grantee, it certainly seems like a done deal.
Still, I decided to ask for more details about the approval of this grant, since the only publicly available written information amounts to about a page and a half of text. I submitted a formal GRAMA Records Request, which the GOEO’s Records Officer denied, claiming—among other excuses, “...no decision has been made regarding this funding…”
This made no sense to me, so I appealed the denial to GOEO’s Executive Director, who also denied it, adding that the January 8 meeting “...concluded with the Board's recommendation that GOEO support the concept.” A statement that does not square with the verifiable facts in their own official records.
The January 8 agenda said “The Board will vote to approve one IAA grant.” Not a “concept.”
The official minutes of the meeting confirmed what was clearly understood on the audio recording from January 8, that the Board “...recommends Nuovo Film Festival Incorporated (NFI) for an Industrial Assistance Account grant of $2,000,000…” and the motion “...passed with unanimous consent.”
I’ve been told that I have an overdeveloped sense of fairness, and I’ve been known to be trusting of others, to a fault. I will take someone at the word if I haven’t been given a reason not to. So, if I find out someone has lied to me, after the fact, I might be a little more bothered by it than most.
I also have a very low tolerance for people who think they can get away with feeding me an obvious line of bullshit, and God help them if they lie to me when I already know the truth.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Request for written clarification of legislative intent (email)
Subject: Request for written clarification of legislative intent regarding S.B. 2 lapse provision and GOEO authority
To: [Sen. Jerry W. Stevenson (Executive Appropriations Chair), Rep. Val L. Peterson (Executive Appropriations Chair)]
Cc: [Christine R. Gilbert (Drafting Attorney/Deputy General Counsel), Steven Allred (Deputy Fiscal Analyst),(State Auditor),(State Agency Counsel Division, Utah Attorney General's Office)]
Dear Senator Stevenson and Representative Peterson:
The question presented is straightforward: if the Legislature made the availability of the Sundance funding contingent on a stated condition, and that condition was not satisfied, does GOEO have any lawful authority to reappropriate, retain, obligate, expend, or otherwise preserve access to those funds? Relatedly, does GOEO have any authority to disregard, evade, or administratively nullify a lapse provision enacted by the Legislature?
My concern is that GOEO’s conduct reflects more than a mere interpretive disagreement. The available record suggests an effort to proceed without a sufficiently transparent written basis, coupled with approval of minutes that appear too vague and incomplete to permit meaningful public scrutiny of what the board actually did. In a matter involving conditional appropriations and lapse language, that lack of clarity directly undermines legislative control over public funds and impairs the public’s ability to assess whether the executive branch is acting within lawful bounds.
As reflected in the materials collected at https://goeo.joepuente.org, the dispute concerns not only the underlying availability of funds, but also the integrity of the public record used to justify GOEO’s position. Those materials include the timeline of events, GRAMA appeal materials, transcript-to-minutes analysis, and supporting documents addressing whether GOEO’s later characterization of board action is supported by the actual record.
I raise this issue because I am a filmmaker, an advocate for Utah’s film industry and nonprofit sector, and a citizen deeply committed to ethical and representative government. I have also devoted five years of my life to military service, and I take seriously any indication that legislatively imposed limits on appropriated funds may be treated as optional by an executive office.
I am copying Christine R. Gilbert, as the drafting attorney, and Steven M. Allred, as the fiscal analyst, because this issue goes directly to statutory construction, appropriations control, and the intended legal effect of the condition and lapse language enacted in S.B. 2. Their inclusion is meant to ensure that any response is informed by the bill’s drafting context and fiscal structure, and to clarify whether GOEO’s present position is consistent with the legislation as written and understood at the time of enactment.
Accordingly, I respectfully request a written response addressing:
Whether, in your understanding as the bill’s sponsors, S.B. 2 permits GOEO to treat conditional Sundance funds as available if the condition precedent was not met.
Whether a lapse provision in S.B. 2 may lawfully be ignored, bypassed, or reinterpreted by GOEO in the administration of those funds.
If such authority is believed to exist, the specific statutory text or legal basis supporting that conclusion.
Whether GOEO’s present course of action is consistent with the legislative intent underlying the appropriation and lapse language adopted in S.B. 2.
I would appreciate a direct written response stating whether, in your view, the Legislature intended these funds to lapse if the statutory condition was not satisfied.
Respectfully,
(signed)
Joseph L. Puente
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
(attachment: [20260311_SB2SponsorsGOEO.pdf])
Thursday, March 5, 2026
GRAMA Notice of Appeal submitted to the State Records Committee
Subject: GRAMA Notice of Appeal – Puente v. GOEO (IAA Grant)
Date: March 5, 2026 at 2:11:06 PM MST
Director Pehrson,
Please accept this email and the attached documents as my GRAMA Notice of Appeal to the State Records Committee under Utah Code §§ 63G‑2‑402 and 63G‑2‑403, regarding the March 3, 2026 decision of the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO) denying my records request related to an Industrial Assistance Account grant.
Attached are the following documents:
Appeal_Notice_SRC_GRAMA_GOEO_20260305.pdf
AppEx_01_20260303_GRAMA_AppealDenial.pdf
AppEx_02_20260108_GOEO_Boar..JAN26_PublicNotice_1372663.pdf
AppEx_03_20260210_GOEO_Board_8JAN26_Minutes_1389373.pdf
AppEx_04_20260130_GOEO_Boar..o_to_Text_generated_Transcript.pdf
AppEx_05_20260305_ConceptVsMotion.pdf
AppEx_06_20260209_GRAMA_Request_IAA.pdf
AppEx_07_20260108_AllMaterials_GOEOBoard_-_1.8.26_1372663.pdf AppEx_08_20250523_Articles_Inc..ation_NUOVO_FILM_FEST_INC.pdf
AppEx_09_20260210_GRAMA_Denial_PF_PIO.pdf
AppEx_10_20260218_GRAMA_Appeal.pdf
AppEx_11_20260302_GRAMA_AppealFollowUp.pdf
AppEx_12_20260210-20260305_GOEO_Meeting_V_Minutes.pdf
AppEx_13_20260302_Response_GRAMAAppealFollowup.pdf
AppEx_14_20250325_SB02_Sec1_Subsec1a_It22.pdf
AppEx_15_20260128_UTStateAuditor_Info_Case_016517.pdf
AppEx_16_20260218_GRAMAAppealRecieved.pdf
AppEx_17_20260220_UFA_GOEO_EthicsConductEvaluation.pdf
I am simultaneously serving this Notice and all exhibits upon GOEO and the Attorney General’s Office by copying them on this email, consistent with Utah Code § 63G‑2‑403.
Please confirm receipt of this appeal and all attachments.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Puente…
Salt Lake City…
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Fact Check on $2M grant (email to press)
Subject: (2 sources) Fact Check on $2M grant for Utah nonprofit
Date: March 3, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Local press coverage about the future of Utah’s “film ecosystem” and the possible role that “A.I.” might have to play in it, leave readers with a distinct impression that a $2M grant to a nonprofit organization nobody has heard of was a done deal. Especially when the headlines include phrasing like, “...Initiative gets $2 million from state,” “Utah invests $2 million in an AI-driven film ecosystem,” and “Utah invests $2M in AI cinema.”
Obviously, this is clickbait for those whose interests in filmmaking and machine learning overlap. It becomes problematic only when the stories themselves make assertions such as “Nuovo Film Festival, Inc... has received $2 million...”
The articles state that the grant takes the form of an Industrial Assistance Account, so references were also made to the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity (GOEO), though there were no press releases on the topic and no quotes from GOEO staff. As far as I can tell, only one journalist—not from Utah and with established bona fides, writing for an industry publication—appears to have at least made an effort, publication—appears to have at least made an effort, including in their coverage “... board members did not respond to a request for comment.”
I had to jump through some bureaucratic hoops to obtain the two attached letters. The first is from Patrick Fitzgibbon, the GOEO Public Information Officer, denying a GRAMA Records Request regarding a grant for “Nuovo Film Festival, Inc.” worth $2M, in which they stated the following:
“...a formal grant application has not yet been generated or submitted…no decision has been made regarding this funding, the grant has not been awarded, and no award letters, scoring sheets, or executed contracts currently exist.”
Patrick Fitzgibbon
The second letter is an affirmation of that denial from Jefferson Moss, the Executive Director of the GOEO, making similar citations but also addressing recent press coverage:
“...I note that your February 18 appeal letter referenced press coverage suggesting that GOEO has already funded the Nuovo Film Festival. I understand how these reports could lead to that conclusion; however, I can assure you that those reports do not reflect the current status of this project, and no funding has been approved.
Jefferson Moss, GOEO Director
Do news outlets issue retractions anymore, or do they just update their web pages and hope no one goes back to check whether they ever got it right?
Honestly, I’m less concerned about the current state of journalism than I am about government cronyism and potential fraud in the nonprofit sector. I know that Nuovo Film Festival, Inc. is technically a nonprofit on paper—meeting a bare minimum standard to qualify for legal existence—but so do a parade of “Talent Agencies” in the Beehive state scamming young models with “acting classes” and “professional photos” with little more than a Facebook page and a DBA (usually in that order).
[attachments]
https://www.joepuente.org/2026/02/ethics.html
* * *
From: Rémi Rostan…studiolhc...Subject: Re: (2 sources) Fact Check on $2M grant for Utah nonprofitDate: March 3, 2026 at 10:48:40 PM MST
Hello Joe,It's been corrected.Thank you,R
GRAMA Appeal denial letter
From: Patrick Fitzgibbon...
Subject: GRAMA Appeal Response
Date: March 3, 2026 at 3:30:00 PM MST
Mr. Puente,
Please see the attached response to your GRAMA appeal.
--
Patrick Fitzgibbon
Public Information and Communications Manager...
“...While Scott Anderson presented a new concept to support the film industry to the GOEO Board on January 8, 2026, the presentation was intended to promote public awareness and transparency about a preliminary idea. That presentation concluded with the Board's recommendation that GOEO support the concept. To be clear, the GOEO Board does not approve this type of grant — it only provided its recommendation. This nuance has been underreported in media coverage of this subject...
“I note that your February 18 appeal letter referenced press coverage suggesting that GOEO has already funded the Nuovo Film Festival. I understand how these reports could lead to that conclusion; however, I can assure you that those reports do not reflect the current status of this project, and no funding has been approved.” (emphases added)
(signed)Jefferson MossGOEO Director
Monday, March 2, 2026
GRAMMA Appeal Follow-up
To: GOEO Director Jefferson Moss, et. al.
Subject: Follow‑up on Expedited GRAMA Appeal – Denial Dated 2/10/26
Date: March 2, 2026 at 10:32:35 AM MST
Subject: Follow‑up on Expedited GRAMA Appeal – Denial Dated 2/10/26
Date: March 2, 2026 at 10:32:35 AM MST
Dear Director Moss,
I am writing to follow up on my appeal of the denial of my expedited GRAMA records request, which is dated February 10, 2026, but was not actually sent to or received by me until February 17, 2026.
Because I did not receive the denial until February 17—ten (10) full calendars days after the denial was apparently written—that is the date on which I first had notice of the denial and from which I calculated my appeal timeline. I submitted my appeal and requested expedited consideration on February 18, 2026.
Utah’s GRAMA statutes require that governmental entities respond “as soon as reasonably possible” and within the applicable statutory time limits, and to provide notice if any extraordinary circumstances are being claimed that would extend those limits. As of today, March 2, 2026, I have not received:
- A decision on my request for expedited handling of the appeal;
- A substantive written decision on the appeal itself; or
- Any notice that extraordinary circumstances are being claimed, along with an estimated date for a decision.
In light of the elapsed time since my February 18 appeal and request for expedition, I am requesting:
- Written confirmation of the current status of my appeal and my request for expedited consideration; and
- Either an immediate written decision on the appeal or clear written notice of any statutory basis you are relying on to extend the response time, including a specific expected decision date.
If I do not receive a written response or decision by the close of business today, March 2, 2026, I will treat the lack of response as a denial and proceed to the next level of appeal and any other remedies available under Utah statutes.
If you believe a response has already been sent, please re‑send it, as I have not received it.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
(Signed)
Joseph L. Puente
Salt Lake City, Utah
* * *
Email reply From: Patrick Fitzgibbon…
Subject: Re: Follow‑up on Expedited GRAMA Appeal…
Date: March 2, 2026 at 4:04 PM,
Mr. Puente,
When you submitted your appeal to Director Moss on February 18, I appreciated your copying all vested parties on that correspondence.
Our counsel sent you an acknowledgement of receipt that same day.
Regarding the timeline for a decision, we are following the standard review period outlined in code, which sets the deadline for a formal response this Wednesday, March 4.
Please keep an eye on your inbox at that time.
* * *
From: Joseph L. Puente…
Subject: Re: Follow‑up on Expedited GRAMA Appeal – Denial Dated 2/10/26
Date: March 2, 2026 at 4:05:24 PM MST
To: Patrick Fitzgibbon…
Subject: Re: Follow‑up on Expedited GRAMA Appeal – Denial Dated 2/10/26
Date: March 2, 2026 at 4:05:24 PM MST
To: Patrick Fitzgibbon…
Thank you. I appreciate the update.