DATE: 03/18/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: City Manager’s Office – City Clerk
2026-85
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
RESOLUTION APPROVING THE UPDATED CITY-WIDE RECORDS RETENTION
SCHEDULE
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to approve the annual update of the City-wide Records Retention Schedule to facilitate document management and specify the times and circumstances at which City Departments may purge obsolete physical and electronic records legally and efficiently.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2026-016, approving the updated City-wide Records Retention Schedule.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
The City Council previously adopted the City-wide records retention schedules for the City of Corona (City) on August 21, 2024. Government Code Section 34090 provides a process whereby any City record which has served its purpose is no longer required or is not classified as a “permanent record” may be destroyed as long as the destruction of said records follows a transparent statutory process and will not interfere with the services and functions of the City. Making periodic updates to a public agency’s records retention in an open setting serves two purposes. First, the records retention schedule informs the public, staff, and public officials of the City’s requirements for records management and lawful destruction. Second, an update like this provides a rational and responsible way to maintain critical documents while purging and streamlining the agencies’ files of nonessential paperwork.
ANALYSIS:
The updated Records Retention Schedule, included as Exhibit A to Resolution No. 2026- 016, applies to all Departments and functions and denotes the retention requirements and timeframes for each record series based on state, federal, and other minimum requirements of applicable law, as well as each Department’s administrative, operational, historical, and reference needs. Each Department has approved the associated citations and references. In some cases, the City has opted to retain records for a longer period of time than required by state or federal law. In no instance has the City opted to retain a record for a shorter period of time than required by law. In all cases, the minimum time period for retention under Government Code Section 34090 is two years.
The retention schedules were written interactively with representatives from all Departments participating in the project. They provide clear, specific record descriptions and retention periods and apply current law to the management of City records.
The following schedules were updated:
1. Fire Department
2. Human Resources
3. Information Technology
4. Legal and Risk Management
5. Police Department
6. Planning and Development Department
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with the recommended action.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the commonsense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is to adopt a City-wide Records Retention Schedules. There is no possibility that this action will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: SYLVIA EDWARDS, CITY CLERK
REVIEWED BY: JUSTIN TUCKER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Updated Citywide Retention Schedules
2. Exhibit 2 – Resolution No. 2026-016