Does the agency have to know why you want records Q: An agency that I am requesting info from is pressing to know “what am I looking for”, e.g. why I want it. Do I have to say? A: The answer to your question is “no.” You do not have to state the purpose for why you are seeking public records. The California Public Records Act (“PRA”) prohibits “limitations on access to a public record
Economic Interest Disclosure Statements Q: I sent a PRA request to the County Clerk, Recorder, Registrar of Voters, back in January of this year. I Requested to see all the form 700 disclosure statements of economic interests, for each County Extraction Review Team member; whereas stated in the County Conflict of Interest Code, named in APPENDIX “B” as an Entity, and subject to Reporting Category: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. As of today, after contacting her office 7 different
Third Party Notification Q: Does the custodian of a public record have the right to notify the party that someone is requesting their public record? I.e., there was a bid for a public entity that is now closed. I want to obtain a copy of the winning bid, but the custodian is saying that they have to notice all requests to the party that placed the bid. This doesn’t seem quite right. A: Under Public
State Agency Test Results Q: I am requesting the results of a test from a state agency. It appears the agency is declining my request not only for my results, but also to view the results of other candidates and also the decision process of the hiring manager. A: Generally speaking, laws restricting access to records should not interfere with a person’s rights to review his or her own records. It is not clear whether
Obtaining Copies of Video Q: I was assaulted at old town trolley station by a trolley officer, this assault was caught on video. How do i get a copy of video? A: From the information in your submission, it is not clear who is in possession of the video tape you reference. If the Metropolitan Transit System has possession of the video, you may want to submit a request under the Public Records Act (“PRA”)