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HomeMy WebLinkAbout _ 4.1(c)--Letter of Support for Assembly Bill 1821 GI �" Y C� F � � �- ' � ° � � i � CITY OF REDDING �� REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: June 16,2026 FROM: Jason Gibilisco, Management ITEM NO. 4.1(c) Assistant to the City Manager ***APPROVED BY*** �� � v 3,�� n�.,, �„;��; w � � � � �� � ,,�� 5� � ��* � �� ,��,��, 7t�sq.��Ci� i co,.; a��a��.eaaic��t 1�+sivl�nk t�9lrw(=i4y hStrr�ag�,x ��=�'�(12�r vv F�����'�il'�3fJX +,,,�'ti'���.��233�TUI �,. �f�l�����7 jgibilisco@cityofredding.org wtarbox@cityofredding.gov SUBJECT: 4.1(c)--Letter of Support for Assembly Bill 1821 Recommendation Authorize the Mayor to send a letter of support for Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco) which would amend the California Public Records Act response deadline from 10 calendar days to 10 business days. Fiscal Impact There is no direct fiscal impact to the City of Redding (City) associated with authorizing the Mayor to send a letter of support. AZteNnative Action The City Council could decline to authorize the Mayor to send the letter and provide alternate direction to staff. Background/Analysis The California Public Records Act (CPRA) requires local agencies to respond to public records reguests within 10 calendar days of receipt, with the option to extend the deadline by an additional 14 calendar days under unusual circumstances. The intent of the CPRA is to ensure timely public access to government records and the current 10 calendar day response window presents operational challenges for cities, particularly smaller agencies with limited staff resources. The current timeframe does not account for weekends, holidays, or the day-to-day workload demands that staff must balance when locating, reviewing, and responding to records requests. Report to Redding City Council June 9,2026 Re: 4.1(c)--Letter of Support for Assembly Bi111821 Page 2 Assembly Bill 1821 (Pacheco), proposes to amend the CPRA by changing the initial response deadline from 10 calendar days to 10 business days. This adjustment would provide local agencies with a more realistic and workable timeframe to respond to public records requests without diminishing the public's fundamental right to access government records. The public's right to access government records is fully preserved under the bill; the change applies only to the timeframe in which agencies inust respond. Environmental Review This is not a project defined under the California Environmental Quality Act, and no further action is required. Council PNiority/City Manager Goals � Government of the 21st Century — `Be relevant and proactive to the opportunities and challenges of today's residents and workforce. Anticipate the future to make better decisions today." Attachments Letter of Support AB 1821 � � T '� � � ~�' �ITY QF F��C>�1 G � �- � -��-- 777 Cy{�r�ss Av�nue, Reddi�t�, ��+, 96t��1 �a "., F'� E��7� ���C�71, R�dding, C�, �6t�4J-�iCD7� � .,+� L I F � F� - }r:, � = cityr�finedd��rg.r�r� �� „ ., Mike Littau,Mayor mlittau@cityofredding.gov 530.225.4447 June 16,2026 The Honorable Blanca Pacheco Member,California State Assembly 1021 O St,Room 4510 Sacramento,CA 95814 RE: AB 1821 (Pacheco)California Public Records Act:agencv response time. Notice of SUPPORT(4/6/2026) Dear Assembly Member Pacheco, The City of Redding is pleased to support your measure AB 1821 (Pacheco�,which would shift from"calendar days"to "business days"for initial determinations and extensions.This is a common-sense update that reflects the operational realities of cities.Cities generally do not have staff available on weekends ar holidays,yet current law continues to toll California Public Records Act(CPRA)deadlines during thesa periods.A business-day standard ensures cities have the full,intended number of working days to conduct thorough and accurate searches for disclosable records. Under existing law,cities must detErmine within 10 days whethEr a request seeks disclosable records,with a possible 14-day extension in unusual circuinstances.Neither timeframe accounts for weekends or holidays when staff are unavailable.AB 1821 eorrects this discrepaney by converting these periods to business days,helping cities eomply with the law more effectively and consistently. Modern goven�inent operations now generate far more disclosable records,inciuding emails,texts,and internal messages, which require extensive searehing,review,and redaetion of sensitive information such as attorney-elient eommunications, personal identifiers,and medical or criminal data.At the same rime,cities have lost key revenue sources that once offset these costs:Proposition 42 eliminated state reimbursement for CPRA eompliance, and a 2020 California Supreme Court ruling restricted ciries from recovering staff time or technical costs associated with producing recards.As a result,local governments must absorb the full eost of inereasingly time-intensive requests. We appreciate the author's efforts and support continued conversations about broader CPRA reform.The business-day clarification in the bill is a narrow but meaningful iinprovement that will help cities comply with the law mare effectively and consistently. For these reasons,the Ciry of Redding is pleased to support AB 1821 (Pacheco). Sineerely, Mike Littau Ciry of Redding Mayor ca The Honarablc Megan Dahie(via amail) The Honorable Heather Hadwick(via email) Charles Andcrson,League of California Ciries(via email) League of Califomia Cities,cityletters@eacities.org