PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Legal Division San Francisco, California Date: September 14, 2017 Resolution No. L-545 R E S O L U T I O N RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING DISCLOSURE OF THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION SAFETY AND OF ITS ENFORCEMENT DIVISION’S RECORDS INVESTIGATION OF AN ELECTRICAL INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT 52 ALMOND AVENUE IN LOS ALTOS, CA ON NOVEMBER 25, 2013 ONCE THE INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED BACKGROUND The California Public Utilities Commission (“Commission”) received a request seeking disclosure of all Commission of an records concerning the Commission’s investigation electrical incident that occurred at 52 Almond Avenue in Los Altos, CA on November 25, 2013 The Commission staff could not make the investigation records (“the incident”). public without the formal approval of the full Commission. The request is treated as an appeal to the full Commission for release of the requested records pursuant to Commission General Order (G.O.) 66C § 3.4. DISCUSSION The requested records as defined by the California Public Records are “public records” The California Constitution, the CPRA, and discovery law favor Act (“CPRA”). disclosure of public records. The public has a constitutional right to access most government information. Statutes, court rules, and other authority limiting access to information must be broadly construed if they further the right of access, and narrowly construed if they limit the right of access. New statutes, court rules, or other people’s authority that limit the right of access must be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need to protect that interest. The CPRA provides that an agency must base a decision to withhold a public record in response to a CPRA request upon the specified exemptions listed in the CPRA, or a showing that, on the facts of a particular case, the public interest in confidentiality clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA Legal Division San Francisco, California Date: September 14, 2017 Resolution No. L-545 R E S O L U T I O N RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING DISCLOSURE OF THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION SAFETY AND ENFORCEMENT DIVISION’S RECORDS OF ITS INVESTIGATION OF AN ELECTRICAL INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED AT 52 ALMOND AVENUE IN LOS ALTOS, CA ON NOVEMBER 25, 2013 ONCE THE INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED BACKGROUND The California Public Utilities Commission (“Commission”) received a request seeking disclosure of all Commission records concerning the Commission’s investigation of an electrical incident that occurred at 52 Almond Avenue in Los Altos, CA on November 25, 2013 (“the incident”). The Commission staff could not make the investigation records public without the formal approval of the full Commission. The request is treated as an appeal to the full Commission for release of the requested records pursuant to Commission General Order (G.O.) 66C § 3.4. DISCUSSION The requested records are “public records” as defined by the California Public Records Act (“CPRA”). The California Constitution, the CPRA, and discovery law favor disclosure of public records. The public has a constitutional right to access most government information. Statutes, court rules, and other authority limiting access to information must be broadly construed if they further the people’s right of access, and narrowly construed if they limit the right of access. New statutes, court rules, or other authority that limit the right of access must be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need to protect that interest. The CPRA provides that an agency must base a decision to withhold a public record in response to a CPRA request upon the specified exemptions listed in the CPRA, or a showing that, on the facts of a particular case, the public interest in confidentiality clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.
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