Guidelines for Requesting Public Records
California’s Constitution, Article I, Section 3, subdivision (b), and the Public Records Act (Gov. Code §§ 7920.000-7931.000) govern access to public records of California state and local government agencies.
The public has a right to access public information maintained by government agencies, including the Board of Governors and the Chancellor’s Office. To facilitate public access to records, the Chancellor’s Office has created the guidelines that follow.
Requests for Public Records
Requests for inspection or copying of public records may be directed to the public records coordinator in the Chancellor’s Office at the email or mailing address provided below:
California Community Colleges, Chancellor’s Office
Office of the General Counsel
1102 Q Street, Suite 636
Sacramento, CA 95811
PRA@CCCCO.edu
The Chancellor’s Office will provide an initial written response to a public records request within 10 days of receipt. A determination regarding whether documents will be provided may require up to an additional 14 days, depending on the complexity of the request and the availability of responsive documents. The production of responsive records may follow these determinations on a rolling basis, depending on the volume of records to be produced.
A public record includes any writing that the Chancellor’s Office owned, used or maintained in the conduct of its official business and may include information recorded or stored on paper, computers, email, or audio or visual tapes.
Public Records Exempt from Disclosure
The Chancellor’s Office will provide access to all public records upon request unless the law provides an exemption from disclosure. Examples of records exempt from disclosure include: certain personnel records, investigative records, drafts, confidential legal advice, records prepared in connection with litigation, and information that may be kept confidential pursuant to other state or federal statutes. In many circumstances, when the Chancellor’s Office removes or redacts exempt information from the record, it will disclose the remainder of the record.
Public Inspection of Records
Public records maintained by the Chancellor’s Office will be made available for inspection during the Chancellor’s Office regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Members of the public are not required to give notice in order to inspect public records at the Chancellor’s Office. However, if the request requires the retrieval, review or redaction of records, a mutually agreeable time should be established for inspection of the records. Requests for Statements of Economic Interests, Public Records Guidelines, and Chancellor’s Office publications usually can be provided quickly. Requests for other records may take more time because the records must be located, reviewed for exempt information and copied. Many records are available on the Chancellor’s Office Website and at the Datamart.
Chancellor’s Office staff will monitor all inspections of records conducted at the Chancellor’s Office.
If a requesting party requests to collect documents at the Chancellor’s Office or requests to inspect documents, the requesting party must comply with the Chancellor’s Office security protocols, including providing identification upon entering the Chancellor’s Office building.
Cost Associated with Requesting Public Records
The Chancellor’s Office may charge the direct cost of duplication when it provides copies of records to the public (10 cents per page). The direct cost of duplication includes the pro rata expense of the duplicating equipment and the staff (salary/benefits) required to make a copy of the record. Direct cost of duplication does not include the staff person’s time in researching, retrieving, redacting and mailing the record. When the Chancellor’s Office must compile electronic data, extract information from an electronic record, or undertake computer programming to satisfy a request, the Chancellor’s Office may require the requesting party to bear the full costs, including the actual costs of redacting information from electronic records.
