Local government: public safety officials: confidentiality.

Existing law sets forth the duties and powers of the board of supervisors of a county and the county recorder and county assessor of each county. Existing law requires the county recorder to, upon payment of proper fees and taxes, accept for recordation any instrument, paper, or notice that is authorized or required by statute or court order to be recorded, as specified. Existing law allows any instrument or judgment affecting the title to, or possession of, real property to be recorded. Existing law requires a document that effects or evidences a transfer or encumbrance of an interest in real property to include the name or names in which the interest appears of record. Existing law requires the county recorder of each county to establish a social security truncation program for the redaction of social security numbers to create a public record version of official records. This bill would authorize the board of supervisors of a county to establish a program that requires the names of certain public safety officials to be redacted from any property record of principal residence that is disclosed to the public by that county, except as specified. The bill would authorize a county to charge a fee for participation in the program. The bill would set forth requirements that would apply to the sale of aggregate data. The bill would require a county that establishes a program pursuant to this act to also ensure that the property record of a public safety official is redacted, as defined, in a specified manner when a search is conducted by index by name of the public safety official. Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires state and local agencies to make public records available upon receipt of a request that reasonably describes an identifiable record not otherwise exempt from disclosure, and upon payment of fees covering direct costs of duplication. 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. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.