Public Records Free Directory Blog

California House Assembly Bill 1393 required state agencies to post information on the home pages of their web sites describing how to obtain public records as well as including the necessary request form. The bill further allowed for cities and counties to face fines for deliberate violations of the rules governing public record requests and also created a task force to oversee what records should be made available. The bill no longer included enforcement provisions that would allow for a request of an attorney general review if the public record request was turned down.

Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed this bill with the explanation that his Executive Order S-03-06 already required state agencies to review their public access guidelines and required these agencies to train staff to ensure compliance with the California Public Records Act. The Governor further stated that he did not approve of the bill’s requirement of a task force that would impose even more statutory standards.