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New Law Aims to Stop Public Record Request Abuses, Encourages Open Data

Earlier this month, Gov. Brown signed AB 2853, which allows state and local agencies to comply with California Public Record Act requests for information by posting it online and referring the requestor to its website.

Earlier this month, Gov. Brown signed AB 2853, which allows state and local agencies to comply with California Public Record Act requests for information by posting it online and referring the requestor to its website.

The bill's author, Assemblymember Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles, intends to stop abuses by for-profit companies that request agencies, particularly in the field of education, to retrieve and assemble information that is sold for marketing or “data mining” purposes, according to a legislative analysis of the bill. The bill intends to make the public record request process more efficient and cost effective for agencies.

Requests that cannot be fulfilled by posting information online must be carried out by supplying documents directly to the requestor. AB 2853 was approved by the governor on Sept. 9 and will become effective on Jan. 1, 2017.