Bill > AB1821

This bill modifies the California Public Records Act to establish clearer procedures for submitting public records requests and to adjust agency response times. It requires agencies to designate specific physical office locations and email addresses for receiving requests, and allows for other reasonable submission methods, ensuring that requests submitted through these designated channels during business hours are accepted. If a request is not submitted through a designated method, it may not be considered properly requested, potentially delaying the agency's response timeline, unless the agency was otherwise aware of the request. The bill also introduces new provisions for "commercial use requests," which may require requesters to pay fees for the agency's search and review time, though certain entities like educational institutions, scientific organizations, government agencies, and news media representatives are exempt from this fee. Furthermore, agencies can petition courts to determine if a request was made with malicious intent, which could result in the requester being charged search and review fees, and the agency's response duty would be suspended during such court proceedings. Crucially, the bill extends the timeframe for agencies to respond to public records requests from 10 days to 10 business days and allows for extensions of up to 14 business days under "unusual circumstances," which are defined to include situations like cyberattacks or states of emergency that directly impact an agency's ability to process requests. The bill includes legislative findings to justify these changes as furthering public access to government information while acknowledging the operational needs of state and local agencies.