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  • Pages

    Explainers

    FAC’s Explainer page provides information about topics relating to public records, open meetings, and freedom of speech that we are often asked about. The information you are looking for may be here, but if it is not, please feel free to submit a request to our Legal Hotline.

    July 3, 2024

  • Handbooks

    California Public Records Act Primer

    […] the renumbering of the California Public Records Act. The California Law Revision Commission has this table showing how previous sections of the Public Records Act were renumbered. This is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute legal advice and does not form an attorney-client relationship. Questions or corrections: contact the First Amendment Coalition […]

    July 8, 2024

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA School Records

    What can be done if I believe a public school district has improperly withheld records that should be accessible under the CPRA?

    […] school. The requests concern complaints, investigations, and correspondence involving multiple administrators. The school district has responded to my requests with a pattern of delay, denial, and blanket exemptions. The district has claimed that no non-exempt records exist. The district has refused to provide a Vaughn-style index — which is a document describing each withheld […]

    May 27, 2025

  • Latest News

    Blog

    Obfuscating Mercy: How the California Supreme Court Finally Addressed Secretive Pardons

    By Selina MacLaren and Thomas R. BurkePro bono counsel to the First Amendment Coalition The California Supreme Court recently announced a rule change to make it easier for the public to view clemency files for twice-convicted felons. The new rule rejects the governor’s decades-old practice of automatically sealing clemency files, but places the onus […]

    September 17, 2021

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA

    Can my former employer disclose my personnel records under the CPRA?

    […] My former workplace responded, providing only some records and stating the remaining records are exempt under Government Code Sections 7922.000, 7927.700, and 7927.705. It did not provide any index or log explaining which exemptions applied to particular records. Is this response consistent with the workplace’s obligations under the CPRA? What next steps can I take?

    May 15, 2025

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA

    Are government employee hiring records accessible under the CPRA?

    […] request personal information on other applicants. The county responded by generally citing the CPRA and only provided the job posting and publicly available materials, without citing specific exemptions or reasons for denial. Was this a permissible response? What recourse do I have if the county does not provide a specific legal reason for withholding […]

    May 16, 2025

  • Asked and Answered

    CPRA School Records

    What portion of personnel files are exempt from CPRA disclosure?

    […] the California Public Records Act? Specifically, I am trying to find out whether our child's public school teacher — who was a probationary employee  resigned;  was terminated for cause, or  was "non-reelected" (no reason required per union contract). Our School District maintains that the vast majority of an teacher's personnel file is non-public, with […]

    April 22, 2017

  • Asked and Answered

    Court Records CPRA Police Records

    Can I be denied access to files on decades-old, closed murder case?

    […] Attorney’s investigator is unwilling to disclose any records related to this old case.  I am assuming that in responding to your request, the DA cited the investigatory records exemption, Gov’t Code § 6254(f), to the Public Records Act.  (The California Public Records Act would govern requests to both the DA and local police, as opposed […]

    April 10, 2015

  • Pages

    Explainer

    Under the California Public Records Act ("CPRA"), a state or local agency must generally disclose public records on request unless they are covered by a specific exemption from disclosure. Govt. Code §§ 7922.525, 7922.530. Among other provisions, the CPRA contains an exemption, in relevant part, for "ecords of complaints to, or investigations conducted by […]

    September 5, 2025