Release of public records by any body or department of the City, whether for inspection of the original or by providing a copy shall be governed by the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250, et seq.) in any particulars not addressed by this chapter.
(Ord. 2020-018 § 1)
(A) 
The City Clerk shall be the City Public Records Coordinator and each department head shall designate a department representative who shall ensure that all department staff who have contact with the public are prepared to provide public records to the public in accordance with this chapter.
(B) 
Each department representative shall coordinate with the City Attorney's office and the Public Records Coordinator to ensure compliance with this chapter and any related policies and procedures adopted by the City Council or City Manager.
(C) 
Requests for public records can be submitted in person, via phone, or in writing. If the request contains an email address, the Public Records Coordinator or responding department must acknowledge the request via an email reply to the sender. Whenever possible, the Public Records Coordinator or responding department will provide an estimate of the time needed to provide the records requested.
(D) 
At least once a year, and as otherwise requested by the City Council, the Public Records Coordinator shall prepare a tally and report of all record requests brought before it. The report shall, at a minimum, identify the total number of requests, nature of the requests, number of requests fulfilled, number of requests unfilled, and the reason they were not filled.
(E) 
The Public Records Coordinator shall ensure that staff is trained regarding their obligations under this chapter.
(F) 
The Community Engagement Director shall make every effort to inform and educate the public about the provisions of this chapter through the creation of educational materials, such as a Citizen's Guidebook, the Citizen's Academy, and through use of social media, television, radio, written efforts, presentations, etc.
(Ord. 2020-018 § 1)
(A) 
The Public Records Coordinator and department representatives shall respond to requests for public records as promptly as possible.
(B) 
At a minimum, a request to inspect or obtain copies of public records submitted to any department or legislative body shall be responded to within 10 calendar days to advise whether the City has records that it will provide or that there is a legal basis to withhold disclosure of the records, unless within that 10-day period, the requestor is advised in writing that additional time is needed based on:
(1) 
The need to search for and collect the requested records from facilities separate from the office processing the request.
(2) 
The need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records that are demanded in a single request.
(3) 
The need for consultation with another department or agency that has substantial interest in the response to the request.
(4) 
The need to compile data, to write programming language or a computer program, or to construct a computer report to extract data.
(C) 
The response shall provide an estimate as to when records will be available for inspection and the cost for copies of such records.
(D) 
The person seeking the information need not state a reason for making the request or the use to which the information will be put, but may be advised that providing such information may help the City assist the person in finding all documents responsive to the request.
(E) 
While not required, a written request is recommended in order to create a paper trail for the convenience and reference of the requestor and the City. The Public Records Coordinator and each department representative shall provide a form for this purpose.
(F) 
Inspection and copying of documentary public information stored in electronic form shall be made available to the person requesting the information in any form requested which is readily available to or easily generated by the department, its officers or employees, including disk, tape, printout, or monitor at a charge no greater than the cost of the media on which it is duplicated.
(G) 
Release of documentary public information, whether for inspection of the original or by providing a copy, shall be governed by the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250 et seq.) to the extent not addressed by this chapter.
(H) 
The City's failure to follow these administrative procedures will not result in the invalidation of any action taken by the City.
(Ord. 2020-018 § 1)
(A) 
Open by Default. All data generated by the City and its departments shall be open to public review unless the data contain information exempt from disclosure under the Public Records Act or any other Federal, State or local law, rule or regulation. The department generating the data is required to review the data's eligibility for disclosure and to maintain currency with the public disclosure requirements of this section.
(B) 
The City Clerk's office shall post on the City's website and make available in each department: (1) a Citizen's Guide to Public Information that explains how to make a public records request; and (2) a Records Index that identifies the general categories of records that are maintained by City departments and divisions.
(C) 
Open Data Portal.
(1) 
Santa Rosa is committed to increasing transparency through timely and consistent publication of data generated by City departments.
(2) 
Open and accessible government is fundamental to successful representative democracy because it empowers the public to participate in governance by providing easy and open access to maximum public data and information.
(3) 
A single web portal incorporated into the City's new website shall be established and maintained by or on behalf of the City; administered by the Information Technology Department
(4) 
Any dataset made available on the City's Open Data Portal shall use a format that permits automated processing of such data and shall be accessible to external search capabilities.
(5) 
Each department will designate a Data Coordinator who will oversee implementation of and compliance with this section.
(Ord. 2020-018 § 1)
(A) 
If a person or entity who has submitted a public records request believes that the Public Records Coordinator or department representative has improperly refused, failed to comply, or incompletely complied with the request, the person or entity making the request may submit a complaint form to the City Clerk for a determination whether the requested record is subject to disclosure or not. After consultation with the City Attorney's office, and no later than 10 calendar days after receipt of the complaint form, the City Clerk shall inform the complainant of its determination whether the requested record, or any part of the requested record, is subject to disclosure. This determination shall be in writing. If the City Clerk determines that the record is disclosable, the Public Records Coordinator or department representative shall produce the record.
(B) 
In any court proceeding subsequently filed pursuant to this chapter or the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250 et seq.), there shall be a presumption that the record sought is disclosable, and the burden shall be upon the custodian to prove with specificity the exemption which applies.
(C) 
At least once a year, and as otherwise requested by the City Council, the Public Records Coordinator shall prepare a tally and report of every appeal (complaint) filed under this section since the time of its last tally and report. The report shall, at a minimum, identify for each appeal the record or records sought, the custodian of those records, the ruling of the City Clerk, whether the City Clerk's ruling was overturned by a court and whether orders given to custodians of public records were followed. The report shall also summarize any court proceeding related to any appeals during that period. At the request of the City Council, the report shall also include copies of all rulings made by the City Clerk.
(Ord. 2020-018 § 1)