May 12, 2026
The Honorable Buffy Wicks
Chair, Committee on Appropriations
1021 O Street, Suite 8220
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB-1821 California Public Records Act: agency response time - SUPPORT Dear Chair Wicks:
The City of San Marcos respectfully expresses its strong support for Assembly Bill (AB) 1821, which would authorize the time period for each agency to respond to a public records request to be extended by no more than 14 business days.
The City of San Marcos responds to over 1100 public records act requests each year, many of them requiring a significant amount of research and staff time.
The bill's shift from "calendar days" to "business days" for initial determinations and extensions is a common-sense update that reflects the operational realities of local agencies. Public agencies generally do not have staff available on weekends or holidays, yet current law continues to toll CPRA deadlines during these periods. A business-day standard ensures agencies have the full, intended number of working days to conduct thorough and accurate searches for disclosable records Under existing law, agencies must determine within 10 days whether a request seeks disclosable records, with a possible 14-day extension in unusual circumstances. Neither timeframe accounts for weekends or holidays when staff are unavailable. AB 1821 corrects this discrepancy by converting these periods to business days, helping agencies comply with the law more effectively and consistently.
For these reasons, the City of San Marcos supports AB 1821.
Sincerely,
Rebecca D. Jones
Mayor
2 City Council
[email protected]