ITEM NO. 10
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CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT |
| TO: |
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council |
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| FROM: |
Arron Brown, City Manager |
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| BY: |
Sheryl Garcia, Administrative Services Director/City Clerk |
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| DATE: |
06/10/2026 |
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| SUBJECT: | Consideration of a Resolution in Support of Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco) – California Public Records Act: Agency Response Time
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Recommendation:
Adopt Resolution No. 2026-33 supporting Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco) regarding California Public Records Act response timelines.
Background/Analysis:
In recent years, local agencies across California have experienced a substantial increase in both the volume and complexity of requests under the California Public Records Act ("CPRA"). Responding to these requests often requires significant staff coordination and legal review to search for responsive records, review exemptions, redact confidential information, and ensure compliance with statutory deadlines. Requests can frequently involve extensive searches of emails, text messages, electronic communications, and archived records, requiring considerable staff and attorney time to process thoroughly and accurately while balancing an agency's ongoing operational responsibilities.
Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco) proposes amendments to the CPRA to revise agency response timelines from calendar days to business days. Under current law, agencies are required to determine within 10 calendar days whether a request seeks disclosable public records, with a 14-calendar-day extension under certain circumstances. AB 1821 would revise these timelines to business days, recognizing that local agencies generally do not have staffing available on weekends and holidays. The bill is supported by numerous local government organizations, including the California Municipal Clerks Association (CMCA), League of California Cities (Cal Cities), California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), and Urban Counties of California (UCC).
Earlier versions of AB 1821 included provisions that would have allowed local agencies to recover reasonable costs associated with exceptionally burdensome records searches; however, those reimbursement-related provisions were removed through amendments. While the legislation no longer addresses the growing financial burden associated with increasingly complex CPRA requests, it still provides a meaningful operational improvement by clarifying that statutory response timelines should be calculated using business days rather than calendar days.
The proposed business-day standard is a practical and reasonable adjustment that better reflects operational realities while preserving the public’s right to access government records. The bill would assist agencies in providing complete and legally compliant responses without reducing transparency or accountability.
Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco) proposes amendments to the CPRA to revise agency response timelines from calendar days to business days. Under current law, agencies are required to determine within 10 calendar days whether a request seeks disclosable public records, with a 14-calendar-day extension under certain circumstances. AB 1821 would revise these timelines to business days, recognizing that local agencies generally do not have staffing available on weekends and holidays. The bill is supported by numerous local government organizations, including the California Municipal Clerks Association (CMCA), League of California Cities (Cal Cities), California State Association of Counties (CSAC), Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), and Urban Counties of California (UCC).
Earlier versions of AB 1821 included provisions that would have allowed local agencies to recover reasonable costs associated with exceptionally burdensome records searches; however, those reimbursement-related provisions were removed through amendments. While the legislation no longer addresses the growing financial burden associated with increasingly complex CPRA requests, it still provides a meaningful operational improvement by clarifying that statutory response timelines should be calculated using business days rather than calendar days.
The proposed business-day standard is a practical and reasonable adjustment that better reflects operational realities while preserving the public’s right to access government records. The bill would assist agencies in providing complete and legally compliant responses without reducing transparency or accountability.
- Fiscal Impact Yes/No:
- No
Additional Fiscal Information:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with adopting a support position for AB 1821. However, the proposed legislation may assist the City in managing staff resources more effectively in responding to increasingly complex public records requests.