How do I request something from the Freedom of Information Act. I’m looking for statistics from the state of California that could be politically embarassing but it is important that I have them in order to highlight an important issue. I hope they comply with my request!
Cheers.
ANSWER PERSON RESPONDS: FOIA is a federal law. States have similar, but not identical, open records laws for their state records. You’re going to have to know which state agency has the data you need and then make a request following the guidelines of California’s open records laws. Here’s a “pocket guide” that looks pretty useful regarding the mechanics of accessing records: http://www.thefirstamendment.org/capra.html Here’s the pertinent state statute on the web: http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cacodes/gov/6250-6270.html It’s about a million words long, but there do seem to be some specifics on how to make a request. Here’s an 84 page “summary”: http://ag.ca.gov/publications/summary_public_records_act.pdf