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City attorney urges officials to use city email, explains Public Records Act obligations
Summary
Legal staff reviewed the Public Records Act and the city’s procedures for searching and producing records, including how texts, personal emails and social-media messages may be public if they relate to city business.
City Attorney Sam told the council and planning commissioners that Capitola has seen a marked increase in Public Records Act (PRA) requests and that officials must treat communications about the people’s business as potentially public records.
Sam explained the statutory test: a public record is ‘‘any record containing information relating to the conduct of the people’s business’’ and applies regardless of format or which device or account holds the material. He said that emails…
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