Department of Motor Vehicles: records: confidentiality.

Existing law prohibits the disclosure of the home addresses of certain public employees and officials, including judges and court commissioners, that appear in records of the Department of Motor Vehicles upon the request of the employee or official, except to a court, a law enforcement agency, an attorney in a civil or criminal action under certain circumstances, and certain other official entities. Existing law prohibits the disclosure of the home addresses of the public employees and officials described above for a period of 3 years following termination of office or employment, except as specified. Existing law prohibits the disclosure of the home address of a retired peace officer permanently upon his or her request for confidentiality. Existing law also prohibits the disclosure of the home address of the surviving spouse or child of a peace officer for 3 years following the death of the peace officer if he or she died in the line of duty. This bill would clarify that the above-described provisions apply to active or retired judges and court commissioners, and would expand those protections to the surviving spouse or child of a judge or court commissioner, if the judge or court commissioner died in the performance of his or her duties. The bill would also prohibit the disclosure of the home address of a retired judge or court commissioner permanently upon his or her request for confidentiality, and would prohibit the disclosure of the home address of the surviving spouse or child of a judge or court commissioner who died in the performance of his or her duties for 3 years following his or her death. The bill would make conforming changes to those provisions. If the disclosure of the confidential home address of a peace officer, a nonsworn employee of the city police department or county sheriff's office, or the spouses or children of these persons in violation of these provisions results in bodily injury to those persons, existing law makes that violation a felony. This bill would make a violation of these provisions with respect to a judge or court commissioner, or the spouses or children of these persons, a felony, thereby expanding the scope of an existing crime, and imposing a state-mandated local program. 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. 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.