California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday closed a loophole that allowed members of the public to learn the home address of lawmakers, judges, sheriffs and other public officials through indirect means.
For years, the California Public Records Act (CPRA) prohibited state and local agencies from disclosing the home address of any elected or appointed official on the Internet unless prior permission was obtained. Those addresses were considered to fall outside the spirit of the open records law, which is meant to give the public greater access to documents and meetings associated with local and state government business.
One loophole allowed state and local agencies to disclose parcel numbers that are assigned by local assessors to public and private real estate, including property owned by elected and appointed officials. The unique parcel numbers can often be linked to a physical address once a house or other structure is built on it.
The loophole had the potential to expose the home addresses of elected judges, county sheriffs and other law enforcement officials, as well as lawmakers and their appointed staff.
In January, Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 1785, which amended the CPRA to define a parcel number as part of a home address for purposes of the exemption. Newsom signed the bill into law on Wednesday.
The measure faced virtually no opposition. Supporters of the bill include the California Judges Association, the Judicial Council of California, the Rural County Representatives of California and the California Association of County Treasurers and Tax Collectors.
