Public records: state agency retention.

Existing law, the California Public Records Act, requires a public agency, defined to mean any state or local agency, to make public records available for inspection, subject to certain exceptions. Existing law specifies that public records include any writing containing information relating to the conduct of the public's business prepared, owned, used, or retained by any state or local agency regardless of physical form or characteristics. This bill would, unless a longer retention period is required by statute or regulation, or established by the Secretary of State pursuant to the State Records Management Act, require a state agency, for purposes of the California Public Records Act, to retain and preserve for at least 2 years every public record, as defined, regardless of physical form or characteristics.