Proposition 42

Public Records. Open Meetings. State Reimbursement to Local Agencies. Legislative Constitutional Amendment

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Proposition 42 would require local government agencies, including cities, counties, and school districts, to comply with specified state laws providing for public access to meetings of local government bodies and records of government officials. It would eliminate the current state requirement that the state reimburse local governments for compliance with these specified laws.

Official Election Results:

Yes: 2,126,079 [61.9%]
No: 1,309,953 [38.1%]

Details

Pro/Con
Pro: 

Proponents believe that current public access laws have been threatened while the state has suffered a fiscal crisis as some local governments have refused to pay the cost for access. They believe that the measure will ensure that specified state laws for public access with be observed. They say the measure will ensure that citizens who request information will not be denied on the basis that a local government refuses to pay for it. 

Supporters

Yes on 42

Con: 

Opponents of the measure point to a section of the state constitution which requires that the state pay to local governments the cost of implementing any new state mandates, which they consider to be these specified state laws. They claim that the voters must decide if they feel the state or local governments should pay for public access costs to government information.

In Depth

Currently, two state laws define the rules local governments must follow to provide public access to local government information and meetings – the The California Public Records Act and the Ralph M. Brown Act -- and the state Constitution requires the state to reimburse local governments for costs incurred in complying with the Public Records Act.

Fullerton City Council - Calwatch

Proposition 42 would remove the reimbursement mandate from the state Constitution, and would add requirements to the Constitution that local governments follow the Records Act and the Brown Act. Including this requirement in the Constitution would eliminate the possibility that legislators could alter or eliminate the Public Records Act in budget negotiations (as happened in 2013). 

The California Public Records Act is a collection of laws requiring state and local government bodies to make their records available to the public. The act requires that public records be available to public inspection during the office hours of the holding agencies. The act also requires agencies to create written guidelines for the public on how to access these documents and these guidelines are required to be posted at their office.

The Ralph M. Brown Act requires local governmental bodies to provide posted notice of the time and place for regular meetings. It also requires that all meetings of the governmental body be open to the public. Unless a closed session has been especially authorized, members of the public are permitted to attend any meeting of the local legislative body.

Under the current requirements of the Records Act, the state must pay local governments for their costs when new responsibilities are added. It is estimated that the state owes local governments for Public Record Act costs in the tens of millions of dollars. In 2012, California voters eliminated the state's responsibility for Brown Act costs.

Proposition 42 would amend the California Constitution by removing the state's responsibility to pay local governments for implementation costs of the Public Records Act and the Brown Act. Any future amendments would also be covered by this amendment.

Aside from the state saving millions of dollars annually, the measure makes it easier for the state to make changes to the Public Records Act because there would be no cost to them to implement new changes. Local governments could incur significant new costs.

The measure originated as Senate Constitutional Amendment 3 in the California Legislature. It was sponsored by State Senator Mark Leno (D-11) as Senate Constitutional Amendment 3.

Image provided by Caltech at Wikimedia Commons.

Polling

Coming Soon!

Voter Resources

Official CA Documents

Official Voter Information Guide

Campaign Finance Information

Cal-Access
Check out how much money is being raised and spent to pass or defeat this measure, and where the money is coming from.

Cal-Access Ballot Measure Summary Data Search

Select "Primary 03 June 2014" and "Proposition 042" from the drop-down menus. Cal-Access provides financial information supplied by state candidates, donors, lobbyists, and others.

Nonpartisan Analyses

Ballotpedia - Proposition 42

 
League of Women Voters

Maplight: Voter's Edge

Multimedia
Supporters
California Prop. 42 endorsement -- East Bay Opinion
California Prop. 42 endorsement -- East Bay Opinion
Non-Partisan
League of Women Voters of California: Proposition 42 Compliance of Local Agencies with Public Records -- CalChannel
League of Women Voters of California: Proposition 42 Compliance of Local Agencies with Public Records -- CalChannel
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