California Public Records Search

By Ben Kingsley


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.

There are however exemptions to the law. The state clearly defines those records that are restricted from the public access including the following records (a) ongoing trial (b) personal records or records that invade one's privacy, (c) regulations pertaining to banking regulations, (d) homeland security, (e) tax information of an individual, (f) circulation reports from the library and (g) employee reports. The law also prohibits the dissemination of personal information of the State's employees. Access to the information is restricted to the entities as discussed in Sec. 6254.3 (a) of the CPRA.

To get a copy of the reports, one can check out the website of the agency that one wants to obtain a report from. Each agency has their own set of guidelines and forms as well as fees. Some agencies can accommodate phone-in requests, however, in certain cases, submitting a form with the request is easier as one can receive the information within 10 days after the request was made. In certain cases, walk-ins are also much faster as the documents are available for the public during the operation hours of the agency. Fees are also cheaper when one requests copies personally. The state allows the agencies to set fees and other statutory fees to cover the expense, which can include photocopy services.

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 access government public records such as death, birth or marriage records, a convenient way to do so is to check through online sites that offer public records services. This is the most convenient way to retrieve information without having to wait for the results. Records are readily available and for complete details, one can access those records for a minimal fee, which is really a great value for one's money.




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