The Right to Know: Evaluating the Access to Public Records in California

In this report, we address the statewide problem of inconsistent and fragmented data-sharing among the
government agencies of the state of California in compliance with the California Public Records Act
(CPRA). We focus on four California government agencies based on engagement frequency by the
CCAC: the Department of Justice (CDOJ), the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), the
Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the Office of the Governor. In summary, the CDOJ is the state agency responsible for investigations and prosecutions and acts as the state’s legal counsel under the leadership of the California Attorney General. The CDCR is the agency that oversees California’s prison, rehabilitation, and parole system. The CDPH is the state agency responsible for safeguarding and improving the health and well-being of California's residents through various public health programs and initiatives. The Office of the Governor of California is the state's highest Executive office, headed by the Governor, this office provides direction to all agencies in the executive branch. This report is divided into two parts: part one discusses the problem and data analysis and part two examines other systems for comparisons and policy recommendations.