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U.S. Freedom of Information Act and the California Public Records Act: California Public Records Act and CA Open Meeting Laws

Information on how to make a FOIA or CORA request

CA Public Records Act

Similar to FOIA, the California Public Records Act (CPRA) allows anyone to make a request to the California government for information not available via the public record.  Like U.S. FOIA, the CPRA does not apply to the legislative branch (Assembly and Senate) or the judicial branch (courts).

Also see the CA Government Guide for additional sources, strategies and tips on finding information from the California Government.

Newspapers

Research into California state and local government activities can be supplemented by newspapers, which may provide some background, analysis and source information on a topic.

The guides below provide additional sources of CA newspapers:

The Brown Act, aka the California Open Local Meetings Act

The Ralph M. Brown Act (aka "The Brown Act") governs the public right's to attend local government meetings. 

Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act

The Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (BKOMA) mandates agencies hold open meetings.