Entering the Elk Grove School district I went and approached the receptionist in the lobby. I asked her where would I go to make a public records request. She wasn’t quite sure where to send me but was very polite. The receptionist recommended that I go around the corner to the human resources office. I went to human resources and the receptionist there directed me to go upstairs to another office.

I went upstairs and talked to another receptionist who went and returned with a woman from an office in the back of the room. I asked for the form 700 and ethics records and I was told I needed to submit a written request. I was told they had no filled out forms on file. I wrote my request on a blank piece of paper. I was asked for my name and contact information so I gave it to them. She asked me what I needed it for and I responded by saying I needed it for research. She then asked me what kind of research and I simply said ‘newspaper’ without any other details. She looked at me for a bit and walked away. I was eventually given a blank form 700 form.

When I was done filling out the form I handed it to a receptionist in the office. The receptionist then handed it to the woman from the office and said “Thanks, we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.” The woman from the office said, “We’ll contact our attorneys.”

Throughout the process, all the receptionists were friendly and tried to help me but the woman from the back office was clearly not pleased I was there and didn’t seem to want to give me any records.

CalAware Reaction (Terry Francke, General Counsel):

The Form 700 copies-which the law requires to be available within two days of the request-were not provided until two weeks later. As to other information sought-records of staff discipline, litigation claims or settlements, expense reimbursement claims, etc.-no determination letter or even an announcement of extension had been provided 25 days later either. The district’s law firm informed the auditor that any releasable information would be provided “no later than April 23”-almost a full month after the March 24 mailing date of the request letter. But the law firm said that the request letter, mailed in Sacramento, had not reached the district until six days later.

Mitchell Wilson can be reached at [email protected].