AB 370: California Public Records Act: cyberattacks.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

The California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, except as specified. Existing law requires each agency, within 10 days of a request for a copy of records, to determine whether the request seeks copies of disclosable public records in possession of the agency and to promptly notify the person of the determination and the reasons therefor. Existing law authorizes that time limit to be extended by no more than 14 days under unusual circumstances, and defines “unusual circumstances” to include, among other things, the need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine records during a state of emergency when the state of emergency currently affects the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests due to staffing shortages or closure of facilities, as provided.

This bill would revise the definition of unusual circumstances as it applies to a state of emergency to require the state of emergency, in addition to currently affecting the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests as described above, to also require the state of emergency to directly affect the agency’s ability to timely respond to requests as described above. By restricting the time period in which a local agency may respond to requests, thus increasing the duties of local officials, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

This bill would also expand the definition of unusual circumstances to include the inability of the agency, because of a cyberattack, to access its electronic servers or systems in order to search for and obtain a record that the agency believes is responsive to a request and is maintained on the servers or systems in an electronic format. Under the bill, the extension would apply only until the agency regains its ability to access its electronic servers or systems and search for and obtain electronic records that may be responsive to a request.

The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 1

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. July 14, 2025Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 34, Statutes of 2025.
2. July 14, 2025Approved by the Governor.
3. July 11, 2025Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
4. July 3, 2025In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
5. July 3, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 0. Page 1931.).
6. July 1, 2025Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
7. June 30, 2025From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.
8. June 17, 2025From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (June 17). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
9. May 28, 2025Referred to Com. on JUD.
10. April 24, 2025In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
11. April 24, 2025Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1278.)
12. April 10, 2025Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.