Assistant City Attorney Jason Zeruggoza warns surge in public-records requests, urges added staff

Assistant City Attorney Jason Zeruggoza told the Oxnard City Finance and Governance Committee on March 16, 2026, that public-records activity under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) has risen sharply and become more complex, and he recommended the committee forward a report and a proposed amendment to the city's full-time equivalent resolution 15885 to add one full-time administrative services specialist and reclassify one administrative services analyst to a senior analyst.

"The CPA was enacted in 1968," Zeruggoza said, describing the law's purpose as ensuring government accountability and maximum disclosure. He noted the CPRA was recodified in 2023 without substantive changes and said the city's practice is to accept requests through its Next Request portal, search departmental records, upload responsive documents, and apply exemptions or redactions as needed.

Zeruggoza summarized statutory timelines and procedures: "the city is required to respond to a request received within 10 days to notify the requester whether or not the city has responsive records or whether or not an exemption applies or whether or not there is an extension," and a 14-day extension may be cited for voluminous requests to provide an initial notification rather than final production.

He presented data showing growth in workload: 591 requests fulfilled in 2022, an increase to over 1,000 in 2023, roughly the same volume in 2024, 1,212 requests in 2025, and 268 requests through March 16, 2026. Zeruggoza said many recent filings are multi-part or multi-issue—sometimes six to 10 parts—requiring searches across multiple departments and types of records (finance, public works, police, fire, communications and contracts).

Zeruggoza also flagged the effect of artificial-intelligence tools on request drafting and volume. He described examples of AI-generated, catchall requests that seek budgets, funding authorizations, communications, and guidance documents across programs, which can trigger searches that include potentially privileged communications and require additional legal review.

The assistant city attorney said the city has seen a small number of repeat requesters who file at much higher frequency—the single most frequent requester submitted 124 requests in the cited period—and that iterative follow-ups often require clarification and additional staff coordination. He also said some follow-ups have included threats of legal action or demeaning language toward staff, increasing legal workload and staff time.

To address those pressures, Zeruggoza recommended adding one full-time administrative services specialist in the City Manager's Office and reclassifying an administrative services analyst to a senior position to support CPRA processing. The recommendation would amend FTE resolution 15885; he asked the committee to receive and file the report and to forward the recommendation to the City Council for consideration.

The committee presentation did not record a formal vote in the transcript; Zeruggoza framed the item as a recommendation to the council and asked the committee to forward the item for council action.