Question
I am trying to find out if “USA Today” is certified as a “newspaper of general circulation” under CA Government Code Section 6000.
Answer
As you know, the requirements for qualifying as a newspaper of general circulation, and obtaining a judicial decree establishing that a newspaper is one of general circulation, can be found in Government Code section 6000 et seq. A newspaper can be qualified as a newspaper of general circulation for a particular city or county, or for the state of California. County adjudication is the most common. If there is a particular county you want to know about, you could search the superior court records for that county. Alternatively, you might be able to get the information you need from the county clerk. You could also try contacting the newspaper directly and see if somebody from the advertising staff will provide you with the information you are seeking.
Asked & Answered posts should not be relied on as legal advice, and FAC makes no guarantees about their completeness or accuracy. All posts carry a date of publication that readers should take note of in assessing their usefulness, given that laws and interpretations of them may change over time. Posts predating Jan. 1, 2023, that discuss the California Public Records Act may contain statute numbers no longer in use. Please see this page for a table showing how the California Public Records Act has been renumbered.