Monterey City Attorney
512 Pierce St., Monterey (831) 646-3915, monterey.org/city-hall/city-attorneys-office
Here’s how it should work if you’re a member of the public (or a member of the media) in search of public records: You file a California Public Records Act request with a public agency, such as a city or a school district or a water board, and they reply within 10 days. Even if their legal counsel determines the records are exempt under California law, they’ve got to give you their reasons within that 10-day window. Plenty of local government agencies use that 10-day limit just to keep asking for extensions, and never produce the documents anyway. Monterey City Attorney Christine Davi not only follows the basic rules about the 10-day limit and providing her reasoning for why she sometimes cannot release a record – maybe it contains confidential information about a city employee, for instance – but she picks up the phone and calls and explains. That means if you disagree, you can make your case, and you might even be able to change her mind. Transparency wins.