Santa Rita intake data records
| Submitted | March 11, 2024 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: John Lindsay-Poland
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the California Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:
Records (reports, memoranda, spreadsheets, emails) that contain aggregate information from any and all fields, gathered during the Sheriff’s Office intake questionnaires at Santa Rita Jail since January 1, 2023.
My understanding from ACSO staff at Santa Rita Jail interviewed on March 4, 2024, is that the Sheriff’s Office conducts such a questionnaire with every person entering the jail, including: information on classes, vocational training, and other resources of interest to the person, Medi-Cal enrollment status, county of residence, whether the person is a sole provider, has minor children, is a military veteran, probation status, and demographic information.
This information will be shared with members of the Justice Reinvestment Coalition and others.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
John Lindsay-Poland
From: Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Dear John Lindsay-Poland,
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 7922.535, we write in response to the inquiry that you made to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office under the California Public Records Act, which we received on, March 12, 2024. We note that the requests are limited only to records in our custody and control.
Regarding your request for aggregate information gathered during the intake process at Santa Rita Jail, I have been informed that the information is not stored electronically as requested. Having requested information on classes, vocational training, other resources of interest to the person, Medi-Cal enrollment status, county of residence, whether the person is a sole provider, has minor children is a military veteran, probation status, and demographic information; staff would have to print each form individually. Each form will have to be reviewed and redacted in compliance with the California Public Records Act. Because of this, the required redaction and review effort is overly burdensome on ACSO and not required by the Public Records Act.
Burden is appropriately considered as justifying denial of PRA requests. (See Cal. Gov. Code § 6255; American Civil Liberties Union Foundation v. Deukmejian (1982) 32 Cal.3d 440, 452 ["Because the public has an interest in the cost and efficiency of government, a public agency's expense and inconvenience associated with making a record available to the requestor must be factored into this balancing."].) "When weighing the benefits and costs of disclosure, any expense or inconvenience to the public agency may be properly considered." (Bertoli v. City of Sebastopol (2015) 233 Cal. App. 4th 353, 372, as modified (Jan. 30, 2015).) The California Supreme Court has explained that "[r]easonable efforts do not require that agencies undertake extraordinarily extensive or intrusive searches .... " (City of San Jose v. Superior Court (2017) 2 Cal. 5th 608, 627.) As such, "[a] clearly framed request which requires an agency to search an enormous volume of data for a 'needle in the haystack' or, conversely, a request which compels the production of a huge volume of material may be objectionable as unduly burdensome." (California First Amendment Coalition v. Superior Court (1998) 67 Cal.App.4th 159, 166; see also Times Mirror Co. v. Superior Court (1991) 53 Cal. 3d 1325, 1345 [holding that "whatever merit disclosure might otherwise warrant in principle is simply crushed under the massive weight of the Times's request in this case ... We are not persuaded that any identifiable public interest supports such a wholesale production of documents.").
Please let me know if you are willing to narrow your request.
Best regards,
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Cynthia Wilson | Sheriff's Technician #235
Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Internal Affairs | 3 Park Pl., 3rd Floor, Dublin, CA 94568
From: John Lindsay-Poland
Dear Ms. Wilson,
Thank you for your response. I am willing to narrow my request, but could use some guidance to help determine what narrowed parameters would be both functional and yield useful information. For example, I don't have a sense of how many intake forms - say, per month - the Sheriff's Office completes. Is it possible to discuss this by phone or even Teams? My number if 510-282-8983.
best,
John Lindsay-Poland
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 12, 2024. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following California Public Records Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on March 12, 2024. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Mr. John Lindsay-Poland,
The most knowledgeable person, Lt. Joe has tried to contact you. He also attempted a telephone today. He left a message. When you’re able, if you’d can return his call.
[cid:image001.png@01DA957E.4D26B050]
Cynthia Wilson | Sheriff's Technician #235
Alameda County Sheriff's Office
Internal Affairs | 3 Park Pl., 3rd Floor, Dublin, CA 94568
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