CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Public Records Request
The County of Ventura is committed to transparency and providing easy access to public records pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA). All information contained in a CPRA request, including a requester’s information, is considered public record and may be subject to public inspection, pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530. The requester is responsible for the applicable fees which are established pursuant to Government Code section 54985, to recover the cost of providing copies of records pursuant to the Public Records Act, including, without limitation, mailing, and shipping. (Ventura County Ordinance No. 4627).
How to file a Public Records Act Request
The County of Ventura has a Public Records Portal that allows anyone to submit a request. Please visit the portal to submit a new request.
Information About CPRA Request Submissions
The County is subject to California laws relating to public records. All information contained in a CPRA request, including a requester’s information, is considered public record, and may be subject to public inspection, pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions section at the bottom of this page.
Public Records
Pursuant to Government Code Section 7920.530, a public record is defined as “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.”
Public records requests may be used to obtain “agency records,” which include a wide variety of documents and other materials (including print, photographic, and electronic formats) that were created or obtained by the agency and are, at the time the request is filed, in the agency’s possession and control. In response to requests for public records, the County of Ventura will produce non-exempt public records that are retained by the County of Ventura which are responsive to the request. However, the CPRA excludes certain categories of records from disclosure, and the County will not disclose exempt records, which include, but are not limited to, the following records in response to a request:
- to the extent that the request seeks preliminary drafts, notes, or interagency or intra-agency memoranda that are not retained by the County in the ordinary course of business. (Gov. Code Section 7927.500)
- to the extent that the request seeks records pertaining to pending litigation to which the County of Ventura is a party, or to claims made pursuant to Division 3.6 (commencing with Section 810), until the pending litigation or claim has been finally adjudicated or otherwise settled. (Gov. Code Section 7927.200)
- to the extent that the request seeks records, the disclosure of which is exempted or prohibited pursuant to federal or state law, including, but not limited to, provisions of the Evidence Code relating to privilege. This includes, but is not limited to, documents that are subject to the Attorney-Client, Attorney-Work Product, Physician/Patient, and Official Information privileges, as well as documents that are exempt from disclosure by the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (Gov. Code Sections 7927.700 and 7927.705)
- to the extent that the request seeks records exempted as being part of the deliberative process of local government. (Gov. Code Sections 7927.705 and 7922.000)
- to the extent that the public interest served by not disclosing the communications clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosing the communication. (Gov. Code Section 7922.000)
Publicly Available Records
Many County records are available online or must be obtained following a specific process. Please visit Records Available Online or Through a Different Process to review these records.
