California Public Records Act

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Contents

State sunshine
State laws
How to ask for records
Transparency headlines
Statutory changes
Notable FOIA requests
State sunshine lawsuits
State court cases
E-mail access
Private agency, public dollars
The WikiFOIA portal

The California Public Records Act It is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public has access to public records of governmental bodies in California. Statutes 6250-6270 define the law.

The California Open Meeting Act (also cited as the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act or the Ralph M. Brown Act) legislates the methods by which public meetings are conducted. Statutes 11120-11132 define the law.

California's transparency report card

A 2008 study, BGA - Alper Integrity Index, conducted by the Better Government Association and sponsored by Alper Services, ranked California #19 in the nation with an overall percentage of 55.30%. [1]

A 2007 study, Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, conducted by BGA and the NFOIC, gave California 53 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of "F", and a ranking of 17 out of the 50 states.[2]

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by IRE and BGA, ranked California's law as the 21st best in the country, giving it a letter grade of "C-".[3]

Public Records

The California legislature "finds and declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state".[4]

Open Meetings

"It is the public policy of this state that public agencies exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business and the proceedings of public agencies be conducted openly so that the public may remain informed."[5]

Who May Request California Records?

Anyone can request public documents in California. "[E]very person has a right to inspect any public record". [6]

For requester residency requirements in other states, see the list of who can make public record requests by state.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Integrity Index available for download here
  2. ↑ Graded state responsiveness to FOI requests, 2007
  3. ↑ Freedom of Information in the USA, 2002
  4. ↑ California Governmental Code 6250
  5. ↑ California Governmental Code 11120
  6. ↑ California Government Code, 6253.(a)
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