Existing law, added by the Governor’s Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1991, creates the Department of Pesticide Regulation, which is administered by the Director of Pesticide Regulation. Existing law authorizes the director to, among other things, adopt regulations for the issuance and renewal of licenses and certificates for pest control operations. The California Public Records Act requires a public agency, defined to mean a state or local agency, to make its public records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee, unless the public records are exempt from disclosure.

This bill would, in order to protect the privacy of applicants, licensees, and certificate holders, prohibit personal information, as defined, collected pursuant to these provisions from being considered a public record, as specified, and would exempt that personal information from the California Public Records Act, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to disclose an applicant, licensee, or certificate holder’s address of record, except the bill would require the department to allow an applicant, licensee, or certificate holder to provide a post office box number or other alternate address, instead of a home address, as the address of record.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.