AB 473 Takes Effect January 1, 2023, recodifying and reorganizing this important statute -
The California Public Records Act (CPRA) was enacted in 1968 to promote public access to public records, while also recognizing...more
BB&K's New Law Guidance for a Happy New Year -
In Part Two of our “In With the New” series, BB&K’s ARC: Advanced Records Center team covers important new legislation and case law related to the California Public Records...more
Gov. Gavin Newsom Must Sign or Veto by October 10 -
The California Legislature approved Sen. Nancy Skinner’s Senate Bill 16 on September 2, putting the question of whether to require disclosure of more police records...more
New CPRA Case Law and Legislation for 2021 -
While an expansive array of records can be sought via a California Public Records Act request, the right to inspect public records is not without limits. The CPRA does not give...more
It's the Information, Not the Record, that Must be Considered, Say BB&K's Christine Wood and Isaac Rosen in PublicCEO -
One afternoon in May 2015, six Glendora Police Department officers entered a residence in La Puente,...more
California Public Records Act Provision Permitting Public Agencies to Charge for “Extraction” Analyzed -
Government agencies are prohibited from charging a fee to redact police body camera footage in response to a...more
5/31/2020
/ Body Worn Cameras ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Electronically Stored Information ,
Fees ,
Law Enforcement ,
Police ,
Police Brutality ,
Police Misconduct ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Records ,
Redacted Documents ,
Request For Information ,
Right To Know ,
State and Local Government ,
Transparency
California Public Agencies Struggle with CPRA Compliance -
Public agencies are likely grappling with California Public Records Act request challenges — especially deadlines and document access limitations — during the...more
Police Records Must Be Disclosed Even if Created or Officer Employed By Different Agency, California Appellate Court Says -
The California Attorney General and Department of Justice must disclose all police misconduct...more
2/12/2020
/ Appeals ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Law Enforcement ,
Police ,
Police Misconduct ,
Police Reports ,
Public Agencies ,
Public Records ,
Request For Information ,
State and Local Government ,
Statutory Interpretation
While the California Legislature included investigatory privilege as an exemption within the California Public Records Act, there are exceptions to this exemption. In this Best Best & Krieger LLP webinar, attorneys Christine...more
1/21/2020
/ Audio Recording ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Records ,
Exceptions ,
Exemptions ,
Law Enforcement ,
Municipalities ,
Public Disclosure ,
Public Records ,
Public Records Act ,
State and Local Government ,
Video Recordings
Part 2: New CPRA Laws for 2020 -
While an expansive array of records can be sought via a California Public Records Act request, the right to inspect public records is not without limits. The CPRA does not give unlimited...more
1/16/2020
/ Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Ballots ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Constructive Possession ,
Exemptions ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Municipalities ,
Public Agencies ,
Public Disclosure ,
Public Records ,
Public Records Act ,
Request For Information ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Undocumented Immigrants
Part 1: New CPRA Laws for 2020 -
While an expansive array of records can be sought via a California Public Records Act request, the right to inspect public records is not without limits. The CPRA does not give unlimited...more
1/16/2020
/ Audio Recording ,
Body Worn Cameras ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Charter Schools ,
Educational Institutions ,
Law Enforcement ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Police ,
Police Dash-Cameras ,
Police Misconduct ,
Public Disclosure ,
Public Records ,
Public Records Act ,
Request For Information ,
State and Local Government ,
Tribal Lands ,
Video Recordings
BB&K's Christine Wood Gives Updates on AB 748 and SB 1421 in PublicCEO -
Now, more than ever, Californians have greater access to police personnel records, body and dashboard camera footage and other recordings acquired by...more
12/2/2019
/ Body Worn Cameras ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
Dashcams ,
Law Enforcement ,
Police ,
Police Brutality ,
Police Misconduct ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Records ,
Request For Information ,
Right To Know ,
State and Local Government ,
Strict Compliance ,
Transparency ,
Video Recordings
LAPD Agrees to Requirements Significantly Beyond the CPRA -
The Los Angeles Police Department and the American Civil Liberties Union settled a lawsuit brought last week that alleged widespread and systemic violations of...more
10/9/2019
/ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) ,
LAPD ,
Law Enforcement ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Records ,
Public Records Act ,
Records Request ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Settlement Agreements ,
State and Local Government
A trial court has issued a conflicting decision on a controversial new California law that makes some police records publicly available. Public agencies, though, should continue to follow the ruling made previously by an...more
In September 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1421, amending sections of California's Penal Code to allow the public to obtain some peace and custodial officer (collectively, peace officer) records with a...more
In the first court ruling on Senate Bill 1421, a judge held that the new California law only applies prospectively, but still requires disclosure of pre-2019 police personnel records in response to Public Record Act requests...more
While an almost exhaustive amount of information can be sought via a Public Records Act request, the right to inspect public records is not without limits. ...more
Senate Bill 1421 affords the public access to police personnel records related to reports, investigations and findings, via the California Public Records Act process (not the familiar Pitchess process)....more
At times, e-discovery principles are used only in terms of civil litigation, but in today’s environment, there is as much financial exposure in PRA litigation. Now is the time to get familiar with electronically stored...more
Although it may not feel like it, public employees and elected officials still maintain their rights to privacy and free speech, but is there a bright line? In this webinar, Best Best & Krieger LLP attorneys HongDao Nguyen...more
Best Best & Krieger LLP attorney Christine Wood provides a brief overview of the California Supreme Court’s decision in the San Jose v. Superior Court case relating to Public Records Act requests and discusses the technology...more
Reversing a lower court, a California appellate court found that a newspaper could recover attorneys’ fees under the Private Attorney General Statute in a Public Records Act suit. The Second District Court of Appeal decision...more
In Pasadena Police Officers Association v. City of Pasadena, the Second District Court of Appeal made an interesting observation about the effect of the Public Records Act’s time requirement for a response to a PRA request...more
A California Court of Appeal upheld a decision to drastically reduce an attorney fee award request against the City of Pasadena to a newspaper in a Public Records Act litigation — a decision that should bring relief to public...more