California Open Records 
California laws and court cases
State Statute (Search "Government Code" for section 6250-6270.)
Open Government Guide to California's Open Records legislation by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Congratulations to the California First Amendment Coalition (linked below) on their successful public records lawsuit. Here is a press release about the case, and here is a link to the judge's ruling (pdf).
Letter Generators
Create an open records request that conforms to California requirements
Create a public records request designed specifically for California state and local agencies. Fee based upgrade options such as having Californians Aware send the letter in its name (preserving the requester's anonymity) and having CalAware's general counsel evaluate the legal validity of any agency response denying access are available.
Exemptions
Document types exempted from public access in California.
State Salary Database
The Los Angeles Daily Times published this study of LA city employees salaries: SOARING $ALARIES: A TWO-PART SERIES, and offer this database of city employee pay.
Santa Clara County put together this pdf of all employees in the fiscal year 2007. The City of San Jose offers this compensation chart for the year 2006. Both of these salary databases are covered by the San Jose Mercury News on September 5, 2007.
The Sun had some public employee salary information posted online for about a week, then they decided to pull it. Their reasons here: FROM THE EDITOR: On County Salaries, December 12, 2007
To see what other states have salary databases, click here.
Contacts (where to file your request)
California County Clerks
California Schools
Blogs, websites and resources that use open records
Californians Aware
PublicRecordsGuy
CalAware Today the Californians Aware blog
CalAware Community Forum the Californians Aware message board
California First Amendment Coalition
The Foothill Cities Blog
Shasta County Taxpayers' Association
Sunshine Troublemaker of the Week
California resident Jerry Jamgotchian received the coveted STOTW award the week of July 16, 2007. Read all about it, and see what other states have citizens that have earned the award, here.
UPDATE: He's back, and still stirring up trouble! CHRB pays Jamgotchian $17,900 over public records suit. October 8, 2007
CHRB to hand over necropsy information, February 26, 2008
Press
Head to Sunshine Review for the most recent open record updates in California.
2008
October 30, 2008: Pasadena school district withholds public records of alleged theft of school bond funds
October 14, 2008: Police 'sunshine' proposal worries San Jose mayor, council members
October 4, 2008: Public records dust-up in San Bernardino
October 1, 2008: Peralta board to question records-law violation
October 1, 2008: Atherton: Ex-official seeks records on candidate, councilman, staff
September 25, 2008: Idyllwild Fire Protection District can’t find audits
September 22, 2008: San Bernardino County funneling public records requests through unions
September 9, 2008: Oakland Co. to black out social security numbers on public records
August 17, 2008: Our View: Readers have right to know tax-paid salaries
August 16, 2008: Judge criticizes Michael Aguirre for not releasing documents
August 4, 2008: Riverside finance deputy falsely claims he's CPA
July 30, 2008: County supervisors refuse to provide details on King-Harbor workers
July 25, 2008: Ex-Cerritos commissioner plans to sue
July 23, 2008: Release of Moreno information debated
July 16, 2008: Appeals court tosses 'doomed' case against city of Tracy
July 13, 2008: Judge: county violated public records act
July 10, 2008: Playing hide and seek with public records
July 9, 2008: New notification of public records required
July 7, 2008: Council mulls transparency
July 3, 2008: Foley, Coronado drop request to seal settlement agreement
July 1, 2008: San Leandro launches electronic records database
June 30, 2008: California lags far behind others in government openness
June 28, 2008: Judge: City must pay paper $36K in legal fees for City Hall case
June 25, 2008: District largely denies records request for special ed documents
June 24, 2008: Assembly approves Yee's open-government bill
June 24, 2008: Leadership from Los Angeles
June 21, 2008: Keep public records public
June 17, 2008: Senator pushes second bill aimed at opening LAPD discipline records
June 10, 2008: Speaker addresses public meeting, records laws
June 2, 2008: Victorville making changes to its public records policy
June 1, 2008: County needs attitude adjustment on records
May 29, 2008: Let the Sun Shine in Berkeley
May 28, 2008: CONTRA COSTA CO.: GRAND JURY REPORTS SOME COUNTY OFFICES DENY PUBLIC RECORDS ACT RIGHTS
May 28, 2008: Editorial: Local governments fail a test of openness
May 26, 2008: AG supports opening up on police incidents
May 24, 2008: Watchdog column: Access denied in San Francisco
May 21, 2008: Tracy Press and city of Tracy lawyers square off in court
May 12, 2008: High Salaries, OT For City Workers Drive LA Deficit
May 11, 2008: Public pay records studied for comprehensive look
May 8, 2008: Group wants special ed records
May 2, 2008: Court says feds don't have to reveal names
April 30, 2008: Student seeks bookstore transparency
April 22, 2008: Lawmaker pushes for expansion of secret license plates
April 17, 2008: SJSU responds to aviation lawsuit
April 17, 2008: Thousands of Dollars Missing From Suisun City Coffers
April 14, 2008: Cracking down on animal-rights protests
April 14, 2008: Bill closes loophole in California public records law
April 11, 2008: California Assembly mum on golden-handshake offers to aides
April 11, 2008: City restricts access to public records
April 9, 2008: Editorial: Don't let lobbyists detain right to see cops' pay
April 7, 2008: Scotts Valley officials refuse to release Target traffic study
April 5, 2008: Sheriff: Public better served by nondisclosure
April 4, 2008: Special license plates shield officials from traffic tickets
April 2, 2008: Committee Clears Evans Bill to Aid Newsgathering
March 30, 2008: Complaint about Colton e-mail policy accuses city of withholding information
March 27, 2008: BILL APPROVED TO ALLOW GREATER PUBLIC ACCESS TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
March 22, 2008: Delaying deletion?
March 19, 2008: Sunshine Week sheds light on issue of open government
March 16, 2008: Legislature's secrecy puts cloud over Sunshine Week, critics say
March 16, 2008: Editorial: Government must be open
March 12, 2008: Mayor’s messaging after oil spill ‘private’
March 12, 2008: Freedom of Information: Virtual meeting Open government laws prohibit online official discussions, but they've happened anyway.
March 4, 2008: Red Bluff again denies R-S request for report about coaches
March 2, 2008: News Tribune still fights for openness
February 26, 2008: CHRB to hand over necropsy information
February 24, 2008: Erroneous stance may cost county
February 19, 2008: Temecula councilman's e-mail stirs openness concerns
February 18, 2008: City digs up documents for second inquiry
February 3, 2008: RPV records request is halfway done
February 1, 2008: San Jose city attorney backs 'sunshine' plan
January 27, 2008: It's time to stand against the government's secrecy
January 27, 2008: It's about a lot more than sex
January 26, 2008: Red Bluff denies Public Records request
January 17, 2008: Police tweak redaction policy for public information on arrestees
January 16, 2008: UCSF refuses to release outside review of finances
January 4, 2007: Public information: Crews sues Jerry Brown
January 1, 2008: Royal Gorge documents released by Placer County
2007
December 29, 2007: Chico school district again sued over public records
December 29, 2007: Fair documents obtained through FOIA
December 25, 2007: Uffer's demagoguery on county pay
December 22, 2007: Santa Cruz Mayor Lashes Out, Stonewalls on Public Meetings
December 20, 2007: Tracy public records lawsuit could have far-reaching implications
December 19, 2007: Kathryn Gray: An Open Letter To the Placer County Board of Supervisors
December 19, 2007: Oakland city attorney gives himself a $28,000 raise
December 18, 2007: Group contends railyard approvals violated open meeting act
December 17, 2007: Public records request riles City Hall
December 14, 2007: Tracy records lawsuit ponders when a city official becomes a private person
December 12, 2007: FROM THE EDITOR: On County Salaries
December 11, 2007: Star seeks court order to force spending disclosure
December 10, 2007: Records for gifts to Schwarzenegger 'deceptive'
December 10, 2007: Oakland cops improve response to public requests for records
December 8, 2007: Editor files suit against CUSD over documents access
December 8, 2007: Regional Op-Ed | Kathryn Gray: Blackout On Donner Summit
December 7, 2007: Lifting records veil
December 5, 2007: San Jose police official says audit is 'inaccurate'
December 5, 2007: Our View - ASI executives addicted to 'CrackBerries'
December 4, 2007: District attorney seeks LMUD records
December 4, 2007: Public records access
Novmeber 28, 2007: Audit: Access Often Denied by Law Enforcement
November 27, 2007: Local public access rated
November 27, 2007: Audit shows cops improving
November 24, 3007; County's Secrecy
November 22, 2007: Crews sues Chico schools
November 15, 2007: Aguirre seeks more records from KPBS
November 15, 2007: San Bernardino County officials defend edited credit-card records
November 13, 2007: Lost drafts prompt public records requests
November 8, 2007: Prying open government
November 3, 2007: Schwarzenegger record mixed on opening government records, access
November 3, 2007: Glendora gets low mark on openness
October 31, 2007: Media appeal ruling about open records
October 24, 2007: Schwarzenegger vetoes open meetings bill
October 19, 2007: All-oral probe dodges public-records law, Palo Alto vice mayor alleges
October 12, 2007: Schwarzenegger vetoes Web bill on public records
October 11, 2007: Wilcox report still secret; new attorney examining document
October 10, 2007: UC Employee Compensation Made Available to Public
October 8, 2007: CHRB pays Jamgotchian $17,900 over public records suit
October 5, 2007: Humane Society not accountable under records act
October 4, 2007: Task force to ask San Jose council to release arrest reports
September 23, 2007: Shining the light on church misbehavior
September 21, 2007: Tracy e-mail ruling appealed
September 21, 2007: Day laborer registry will stay secret, judge rules
September 20, 2007: District facing another open records lawsuit
September 20, 2007: Editorial: Open dialogue can shape reasonable plan for San Jose police records
September 20, 2007: Issues of immigration, privacy rights clash in Vista
September 17, 2007: Breaking news: Ruling appealed on council e-mail
September 16, 2007: Police, prosecutors oppose release of arrest reports in San Jose
September 14, 2007: City Attorney Puts KPBS In Full Focus
September 14, 2007: California Supreme Court upholds the public's right to know (Editorial)
September 13, 2007: Public records bill goes forward
September 13, 2007: Group: Politics guts public records bill
September 12, 2007: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070912-9999-1m12kpbs.html
September 12, 2007: Councilman calls for retiree records to be made public
September 9, 2007: Public records access reform unlikely to pass
September 9, 2007: Peter Scheer: State Supreme Court draws a line on access - Public has a right to government information
September 9, 2007: Another view: Santa Clara County has been consistently open with pay data
September 5, 2007: Official's home e-mails not public Be sure to read the comments.
August 30, 2007: Courts open, close local government (Opinion column)
August 30, 2007: Ruling may unlock key data on doctors
August 27, 2007: Court OKs right to know public pay
August 19, 2007: Group appeals ruling on records for litigation fees
August 10, 2007: Officials go with the flow
August 1, 2007: GPU legal fees sealed for now: County won't have to reveal costs until case is over
July 27, 2007: Some cities overprice copies of documents
July 27, 2007: Citizens Ask Council to Uphold Open-Meeting Laws
July 26, 2007: Local Residents sue UCSC over lack of disclosure
July 26, 2007: When California Assembly member's car is damaged, taxpayers pay to fix it
July 16, 2007: Jamgotchian files lawsuit for necropsy reports
July 14, 2007: Media plan to fight for open records
July 9, 2007: Our Voice for Monday, July 9
July 3, 2007: District settlements should be open to all (Opinion)
June 17, 2007: Approve open records bill (Opinion)
June 12, 2007: Judge advances open-records case
June 9, 2007: Lawmakers' bad driving costly to taxpayers
How to add to or edit this page
Comments (2)
IConrad said
at 4:25 pm on Jun 1, 2007
Edited the url of the document types exempted link to move directly to the section for California, to save future readers the extra step.
Maverick said
at 3:40 pm on Jun 4, 2007
Very nice addition, thank you! I hope to have a full list of exemptions to all states' laws at some point. This elimination of an extra step will be even more of a help then.
You don't have permission to comment on this page.