Publication: newspapers of general circulation.

Existing law requires various types of notices to be provided in a "newspaper of general circulation," as that term is defined, in accordance with certain prescribed publication periods and legal requirements. Existing law requires a newspaper of general circulation to meet certain criteria, including publication, a bona fide subscription list of paying subscribers, and printing and publishing at regular intervals in the state, county, or city where publication is to be given. This bill would require any public notice that is legally required to be published in a newspaper of general circulation to be published in the newspaper's print publication, on the newspaper's internet website or electronic newspaper available on the internet, and on the statewide internet website maintained as a repository for notices by a majority of California newspapers of general circulation, as specified. This bill would permit a newspaper that does not maintain its own internet website to satisfy these notice requirements by publishing the notice on the statewide internet website and referencing the statewide internet website in its print publication notice. The bill would provide that certain internet website operator errors or temporary outages or service interruptions resulting in an error in the legal notice published do not constitute a defect in publication, if the legal notice appears correctly in the newspaper's print publication and satisfies all other legal notice requirements. The bill would prohibit a newspaper or the statewide internet website from charging any fee or surcharge specifically to access public notices on their internet website, except as specified. The bill would prohibit a newspaper from charging an additional fee or surcharge specifically for posting to the statewide internet website. The bill, until January 1, 2028, would exempt a public notice that is published in a newspaper of general circulation that has 5 or fewer employees from the requirements that the notice be published on the newspaper's internet website or electronic newspaper and on the statewide internet website. This bill would prohibit the statewide internet website from selling or sharing the personal information of consumers or using it for any purposes other than those explicitly outlined in the bill. This bill would include related legislative findings and declarations.