Public Records & Press

How LodiEye uses the California Public Records Act, the basis for its treatment as a representative of the news media, and the standing statement it files with records requests.

Why this page exists

Public records are the raw material of civic reporting. LodiEye relies on the California Public Records Act (CPRA) and on the public's constitutional right of access to gather the documents, data, and decision trails behind its reporting on Lodi and San Joaquin County. This page sets out how we request records, documents our standing as a representative of the news media, and provides the statement we file with our requests so that records officers and agencies know who we are and on what basis we ask.

LodiEye and the right of access

Under the CPRA, public records belong to the public, and a requester does not have to explain why they want them. California's Constitution reinforces this: Article I, Section 3(b) establishes a right of access to the writings of public officials and agencies, to be broadly construed. LodiEye uses that right routinely — to obtain agendas, staff reports, budgets, audits, correspondence, datasets, and other records — and publishes reporting built on them, free to the public, under a Creative Commons license.

Our status as a representative of the news media

For the purpose of public-records fees, "representative of the news media" is a defined term that focuses on what a requester does, not on credentials or employment: a person or entity that gathers information of potential interest to a segment of the public, uses editorial skills to turn raw materials into a distinct work, and distributes that work to an audience. LodiEye does all three as its core activity. It is an independent newsroom engaged in newsgathering for public distribution — not a commercial data vendor — and it does not request records to further a commercial product. The fuller basis for this status is set out in our Editorial Standards & News-Media Status statement.

Standing statement filed with our records requests

LodiEye attaches the following statement to its public-records requests. Records officers and agencies may rely on it to classify LodiEye's requests for fee purposes.

How we file requests

We aim to make requests easy to fulfill. Where an agency designates a contact for records requests, we use its designated email address or in-person counter during business hours. We describe the records we seek as specifically as we can, state the public-interest purpose of the request, and are glad to narrow or stage a request to reduce the burden on staff. We do not seek records for commercial use, and we do not resell records we obtain.

Our records practice

LodiEye regularly requests, reviews, and publishes reporting grounded in public records across a consistent set of categories, including:

• City and county agendas, staff reports, resolutions, and meeting records.
• Budgets, audits, financial reports, and contract and compensation records.
• Land-use, planning, and project files, including exhibits not proactively posted.
• Public-safety data, including incident and statistical records.
• Correspondence and decision trails behind specific public decisions.
• Civic datasets used in our maps, dashboards, and reader-facing tools.

Each record we rely on is verified against its originating source before it informs reporting, and corrections are published openly. This standing record of newsgathering and publication is part of what establishes LodiEye's status as a representative of the news media.

For records officers and agencies

We value the work of the staff who fulfill records requests. If you have a question about a LodiEye request, need clarification of scope, or want to propose a more efficient way to produce responsive records, please write editor@lodi411.com. We request classification as a representative of the news media and the waiver or limitation of search-and-review fees consistent with the CPRA and the California Constitution, and we will work with you in good faith to keep requests focused and manageable.

For other newsrooms and reuse

LodiEye reporting is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license; you are free to republish with attribution to Lodi411.com. For press inquiries, collaboration, or to discuss shared records efforts, contact editor@lodi411.com.

A note on pending legislation

Proposals before the California Legislature would change how agencies handle records requests — including response timelines, fees for requests classified as "commercial use," and the treatment of requesters. LodiEye monitors and reports on these developments. Regardless of how that law evolves, this page documents the basis on which LodiEye operates as a representative of the news media engaged in newsgathering for public distribution.

This page is a living document. It will be updated as our records practice and the governing law evolve. Current version dated June 30, 2026.