California Public Records Service Provider

California Public Records, according to the California Public Records Act or CPRA, can be accessed by any entity whether the one requesting the records is the public such as an individual person or private such as an organization or company. The aim of the CPRA is to ensure that government transactions are made public to ensure that every government official or agency is held accountable for their actions. All records are available for inspection by the public and can be accessed during the government agency’s business hours.

According to the State of California Government Code 6250, records considered public include the following: (a) any writing that the government conducts for the public and has retained in its keeping regardless of its form and (b) all records kept in the Governor’s office on or after January 6, 1975. Record samples are obtainable from the following entities - (1) the State’s different agencies such as bureaus, departments, divisions and commission offices, (2) counties or municipalities (3) from school districts and (4) local public agencies. (CA Gov. Code Sec. 6252)

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 obtain a copy of the record requested, the person requesting can phone, email, mail or view the records. Each department or bureau has their own guidelines on filling up forms or making requests. The Law mandates the state agencies to respond to the request within ten days from the day the request was made. Payment of fees also differ depending on the agency where one is requesting the public records although the State only mandates the agencies to charge the person requesting the records for direct cost of photocopying the records.

There are some instances where the law makes a leeway for the agencies. Under Sec 6253(c), agencies can extend the delivery time if and when - (1) records are kept in a different location, (2) the amount or volume of the request made is large, (3) if the records need the consultation of another agency or office before it is released and (4) the retrieval of the report would include computer coding to retrieve the files.

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.