Sierra Club v. Superior Court

At issue in this case was the database of information about land parcels in a geographic information system (GIS) file format maintained by Orange County and whether it was subject to disclosure at the actual cost of duplication under the California Public Records Act (PRA) or whether it was covered by the PRA's exclusion of "computer software" from the definition of a public record. Sierra Club requested a copy of the OC Landbase pursuant to the PRA. The County agreed to produce the records but refused to provide the records in GIS format unless Sierra Club paid a licensing fee and agreed to the license's restrictions on disclosure and distribution. Sierra Club subsequently sought a writ of mandate to compel the County to provide the OC Landbase in a GIS file format as a public record with no requirement that Sierra Club comply with the licensing agreement. The superior court denied the petition for writ of mandate, concluding that the OC Landbase in GIS file format was excluded from the PRA's general rules of disclosure. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that GIS-formatted databases like the OC Landbase are public records that must be produced upon request at the actual cost of duplication. View "Sierra Club v. Superior Court" on Justia Law