Sample CPRA request letter
resources
ACCESS TO RECORDS
Date
Name and Title [of the official with custody of the records]
Name of Agency
Address
RE: Public Records Act Request
Dear _________,
I am requesting access to records in possession or control of the [insert government entity] for the purposes of inspection and copying pursuant to the California Public Records Act, California Government Code § 6250 et seq. (“CPRA”), and Article I, § 3(b) of the California Constitution.The specific records I seek to inspect and copy are listed below. As used herein, “Record” includes “Public Records” and “Writings” as those terms are defined at Government Code § 6252(e) & (g). I request access to inspect/copies of [Describe the record as precisely as possible, including the designation of any forms or reports with titles, the date or dates if relevant, the author and addressee if the item is a letter or memo, etc. If the record is referred to in another document or published report and it will help to attach a copy of that reference, do so.]
If you contend that any portion of the records requested is exempt from disclosure by express provisions of law, Government Code § 6253(a) requires segregation and redaction of that material in order that the remainder of the records may be released. If you contend that any express provision of law exists to exempt from disclosure all or a portion of the records I have requested, Government Code § 6253(c) requires that you notify me of the reasons for the determination not later than 10 days from your receipt of this request. Government Code §§ 6253(d) & 6255(b) require that any response to this request that includes a determination that the request is denied, in whole or in part, must be in writing and include the name and title of the person(s) responsible for the City’s response.
Government Code § 6253(d) prohibits the use of the 10-day period, or any provisions of the CPRA or any other law, “to delay access for purposes of inspecting public records.”
In responding to this request, please keep in mind that Article 1, § 3(b)(2) of the California Constitution expressly requires you to broadly construe all provisions that further the public’s right of access, and to apply any limitations on access as narrowly as possible.
If I can provide any clarification that will help expedite your attention to my request, please contact me at [provide phone or email address], pursuant to Government Code § 6253.1. I ask that you notify me of any duplication costs exceeding $xx before you duplicate the records so that I may decide which records I want copied.
Thank you for your timely attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
[NAME]
18 Comments
Honestly, this letter is not that very well written. It misses not giving out the government statutes behind a public request act, it does not address costs associated with such requests (what is legal, etc). It is also very wordy and not succinct.
Paul, check it out now. Our legal team made some updates!
Can you send me the updated language..
Need a CHP Dashcam video for a bogus citation..
Thanks this really helped me
Glad we could help!
?
WAY COOL, THANKS…..
Glad it is useful for you.
Is the above letter the “updated” version?
Yes.
Was arrested on may 11 for surfing county line beach in Malibu.
Using this template, we’ll see how this whole process goes, i’m taking it as far as I can for the few rights we have left.
can this be emailed or does it need to be sent through the postal service
It can be emailed to most agencies, but you may want to check with the specific agency you are contacting to see if they publish any directions, such as how to reach the public records custodian.
Thank you so much for making your template available for use.
Do you have a sample letter (or know where I could find one on the Internet) that can be used to respond to an agency after they DENY a CPRA Request? I’m at that stage right now. They don’t want to disclose any documents at all.
Dave, thanks for the question. We published this sample response letter amid the pandemic, when some agencies were citing that as a reason to not process requests. This may be a start https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/2020/03/covid-19-sample-pra-response-letter/.
Hello, would you be able to assist with how I can obtain the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiners Coroner’s report and LAPD wellness check report that found my loved one in his home?
If you haven’t already, use our free Legal Hotline to submit a request for how to go about this and what the law may provide. To contact the Legal Hotline, which is free for all to use, go here: https://firstamendmentcoalition.org/legal-hotline/.