REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL October 23, 2014 FROM: Councilmember Oliver L. Baines III Acting President, Council District 3 BY: Gregory A. Barfield Chief of Staff, Office of Councilmember Oliver Baines SUBJECT ..Title *** RESOLUTION - Establishing the Council Public Records Act Policy ..Body RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Council adopt the Resolution Establishing the Council Public Records Act Policy. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The attached Resolution will make Administrative Order (AO) 8-4, Public Records Act Policy and Procedure, applicable to all City Departments and Officials. The AO is intended to streamline and standardize the process of responding to the many Public Records Act requests the City regularly receives. BACKGROUND The City receives numerous requests for documents under the California Public Records Act ("PRA"). Each request requires a written response within ten days of receipt. Often the documents requested are voluminous, and may contain privileged information. The attached resolution and Administrative Order attempt to streamline and standardize the process of responding to such requests. Under the Administrative Order, each department shall designate a representative, known as a PRA Coordinator that will be responsible for coordinating and responding to requests for records that overlap different divisions within the Department. The City Attorney's Office will designate a staff member to serve as the Central Coordinator, who will keep a log of all PRA requests, coordinate responses, and maintain control copies of documents provided in response to the request. The Departments where records are located are responsible for compiling records and forwarding them to the Central Coordinator. The Administrative Order does not apply to routine requests for Police and Fire Department Records, which will continue to be handled internally by those Departments. The Administrative Order was heard by the Labor Management Task Force on September 16, 2014, and signed into effect by the City Manager. The attached Resolution will make the Administrative Order applicable to all City Departments and officials. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This is not a project for CEQA purposes. LOCAL PREFERENCE Not applicable because this is not a contract for goods or services. FISCAL IMPACT Approval of the attached Resolution will have no impact on the General Fund. Attachments: Resolution Administrative Order