California AB 541

Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies. The act declares that access to information concerning the conduct of the people's business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state. This bill would, until January 1, 2029, and subject to appropriation, establish the Office of the California Public Records Act Ombudsperson. The bill would require the Governor to appoint the ombudsperson subject to certain requirements. The bill would require the ombudsperson to receive and investigate requests for review, as defined, determine whether the denials of original requests, as defined, complied with the California Public Records Act, and issue written opinions of its determination, as provided. The bill would require the ombudsperson to create a process to that effect, and would authorize a member of the public to submit a request for review to the ombudsperson consistent with that process. The bill would require the ombudsperson, within 30 days from receipt of a request for review, to make a determination, as provided, and would require the state agency to provide the public record if the ombudsperson determines that it was improperly denied. The bill would require the ombudsperson to create a process through which a person whose information is contained in a record being reviewed may intervene to assert their privacy and confidentiality rights, and would otherwise require the ombudsperson to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of records, as provided. The bill would require the ombudsperson to report to the Legislature, on or before March 31, 2027, and annually thereafter, on, among other things, the number of requests for review the ombudsperson has received in the prior year.