Your Source for California Court Public Records
The Golden State is the most populous in the Unites States, and the third largest by area. So where do you start when it comes to obtaining public records, finding different people, and getting a hold of different legal documents to replace the ones that you have lost after all of these years? Well, thanks to the California Publics Record Act, or CPRA, there is a series of acts that define citizen’s rights to be able to have access to public records of governmental bodies in California. To clear up any confusion as to what “Public Records” are, they are actually defined as ‘any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public’s business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics.’
Obtaining public records is your right. However, in California written documentation by a Public Agency does not automatically make it a public record. If an officer does keep this information with him, either for convenience or to be able to do his job, this does make it a public record. The most efficient way for you to be able to get exactly the records you need is to direct your request to the Public Records Ombudsman, according to the DOJ Guidelines for Public Records Access. In some cases this is not the speediest way, so visit HERE for some more thorough information.
Write your written request to your California Public Records Ombudsman here:
P.O. BOX 944255-2550
Sacramento, CA
95814
Phone: (916) 445-4069
Email: PublicRecords@doj.ca.gov
Know your state, know your rights. Start at these sites to learn more about California:
References
-
People Search Widget
