San Jose faces new lawsuit alleging long history of public records violations

San Jose’s handling of public records requests has landed the city in legal hot water numerous times over the past two decades. Now a local law firm is waging yet another court fight in an attempt to settle the matter once and for all.

The firm, McManis Faulkner, filed a lawsuit April 13 in Santa Clara County Superior Court on behalf of San Jose resident Sarah Scofield. The complaint alleges San Jose has a yearslong history of flouting the California Public Records Act, which requires government agencies to turn over public records — such as official correspondence, police reports and officer body-worn camera footage — upon request. The complaint asks for a permanent injunction that could see the court assign a monitor tasked with ensuring city officials follow state mandates.