Public records.

(1) The California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make public records available for inspection, subject to specified criteria, and with specified exceptions. The act excludes from disclosure certain information contained in applications for licenses to carry firearms submitted by peace officers, judges, court commissioners, and magistrates to county sheriffs and the chiefs or other heads of municipal police departments. The act also exempts from disclosure public records that are exempted or prohibited from disclosure by federal or state law and lists some of those other laws. This bill would add prosecutors and public defenders to the types of professionals whose firearm license applications are not fully required to be disclosed as public records. By increasing the duties on county sheriffs and the chiefs or other heads of municipal police departments that issue firearm license applications, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would also add a constitutional provision to the list of laws that may operate to exempt public records from the disclosure requirements of the act. This bill would also make technical changes to these provisions. This bill would state that changes made by this bill to a specified code section are not intended to supersede changes made to that code section in the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 2012 that changed the name of the California Emergency Management Agency to the Office of Emergency Services. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.