California Public Records Act Archives

The Governor and the Public Records Act

January 6, 2023 7:42 amJanuary 6, 2023 7:45 am

California’s Government Code provides for access to public records, which is set forth in the California Public Records Act (PRA), which is contained in Division 10 of Title 1. There are specified types of public records and rules related to...

State Agency Ethics Training

November 14, 2022 6:30 amNovember 14, 2022 6:39 am

Article 12 of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the California Government Code requires specified ethics training for state agency personnel. Government Code Section 11146 provides definitions for the terms “state agency” and “filer.”...

Gubernatorial Records Program at California Secretary of State

October 8, 2022 5:14 pmOctober 8, 2022 5:17 pm

The California Secretary of State (SOS), among numerous other programs that are administered by her office, has a gubernatorial records program. The SOS maintains the Governor’s Chaptered Bill Files from 1943 to 2018. As explained by the SOS, “the Governor’s...

California Bills with Public’s Right of Access Disclaimers

February 20, 2022 12:22 pmFebruary 20, 2022 8:25 am

Have you ever read a bill and found a section at the end of the bill discussing the public’s right of access being limited by the bill? The following is an example from a recently-introduced bill in the California Legislature:...

New Lawsuits Against Alameda Co. and LA Mayor for Violating CA Public Records Law

September 29, 2020 7:54 amSeptember 29, 2020 7:58 am

Two lawsuits were recently filed against the City of Los Angeles and Alameda County for violating California Public Record Act requests demanding copies of the scientific research, data, analysis and other correspondence that gave rise to the closing of schools,...

Complaint Alleges State HR Office Declined Information Requests to Shield Unions

May 14, 2020 7:15 am

A complaint filed on May 12 against California’s Department of Human Resources seeks to establish whether the agency works for the state residents and taxpayers, or for the powerful labor unions that control most of California’s public employees. Filed in...

California Government is the Reason for California’s Housing Shortage

March 5, 2020 9:15 amMarch 6, 2020 8:40 am

The homebuilder Lennar has new affordable homes for sale in San Antonio, Texas with nine different floor plans to choose from at a variety of price points – starting in the $130,000s. In California, permits and development fees often total...