For the public's information, CA public records are the public's property and as such, it is the right of every individual to access the reports. Under the CPRA or the California Public Records Act, public records are any writings (such as but not limited to - handwritten, typed, photocopied, e-mailed and recordings) that any government agencies has in their possession and concerning the public. The CPRA was enacted to ensure that employees of the State, the local agencies and other government entities are held accountable. All records are open to the public during the working hours of the government office where the request is to be made.
In the public's interest, all records that are considered public include those records that were retained by the government in its dealings with the public and can be in any form. These include records that are in different media format. Another would be records that were kept in the Governor's office during or after the 6th of January 1975. Records are available from different state agencies, bureaus, offices, departments as well as from the county clerks, municipal districts and other local agencies that served as agent of the State.
Although the State of California made access to public records a right for every individual, there are certain records that are excluded from the public. These records, according to the Government code 6255, are records of which the public disclosure is detrimental to the public interest and thus are restricted. Aside from this, other exclusions include the following: (a) reports or records that are pending litigation, (b) records that would constitute to invasion of one's privacy, (c) memoranda or drafts (d) banking regulations, (e) records by law enforcement agencies which include intellectual and confidential information, (f) records pertaining to tax information, (g) employee relations, (h) library circulation report and (i) internal security report. The personal information of the State's employees is also restricted from the public and only accessible by the State's agent as pursuant to Sec. 6254.3 (a) of the government code.
To access the information or have a copy of the report, applicants are required to fill up a form. Each agency has their own forms and guidelines, which help, facilitate the request. The agency only has 10 days to ensure that the request is met. Certain fees do apply and depend on the agency that one made the request from. The State allows the agencies to charge certain fees to cover duplicate cost and other statutory fees that may apply.
There maybe times when the office concerned would require more time to retrieve the information. The State gives the offices fourteen days to accommodate the request although in certain cases, the office responsible would give the person requesting the report a period that would exceed the 14 days set by the law. These instances would include having to retrieve the information from a remote office, the volume of the request(s) being made, whether the request needs approval from other agencies and the retrieval would require using different methods such as coding in computers to be able to retrieve the data.
For those who want to gain access to government public records without having to walk in personally to the State's agencies, they might want to try searching for these records online. Many sites do offer public records for free or for a minimal fee. Samples of records would include marriage, birth and death records.
In the public's interest, all records that are considered public include those records that were retained by the government in its dealings with the public and can be in any form. These include records that are in different media format. Another would be records that were kept in the Governor's office during or after the 6th of January 1975. Records are available from different state agencies, bureaus, offices, departments as well as from the county clerks, municipal districts and other local agencies that served as agent of the State.
Although the State of California made access to public records a right for every individual, there are certain records that are excluded from the public. These records, according to the Government code 6255, are records of which the public disclosure is detrimental to the public interest and thus are restricted. Aside from this, other exclusions include the following: (a) reports or records that are pending litigation, (b) records that would constitute to invasion of one's privacy, (c) memoranda or drafts (d) banking regulations, (e) records by law enforcement agencies which include intellectual and confidential information, (f) records pertaining to tax information, (g) employee relations, (h) library circulation report and (i) internal security report. The personal information of the State's employees is also restricted from the public and only accessible by the State's agent as pursuant to Sec. 6254.3 (a) of the government code.
To access the information or have a copy of the report, applicants are required to fill up a form. Each agency has their own forms and guidelines, which help, facilitate the request. The agency only has 10 days to ensure that the request is met. Certain fees do apply and depend on the agency that one made the request from. The State allows the agencies to charge certain fees to cover duplicate cost and other statutory fees that may apply.
There maybe times when the office concerned would require more time to retrieve the information. The State gives the offices fourteen days to accommodate the request although in certain cases, the office responsible would give the person requesting the report a period that would exceed the 14 days set by the law. These instances would include having to retrieve the information from a remote office, the volume of the request(s) being made, whether the request needs approval from other agencies and the retrieval would require using different methods such as coding in computers to be able to retrieve the data.
For those who want to gain access to government public records without having to walk in personally to the State's agencies, they might want to try searching for these records online. Many sites do offer public records for free or for a minimal fee. Samples of records would include marriage, birth and death records.
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