State sued for records on employees working in bargaining units

A not-for-profit organization filed a complaint against California's Department of Human Resources on Tuesday, alleging the it refused to hand over information about the classification and employment status of state employees.

The Freedom Foundation submitted the first of two public records requests in January, asking the department how many employees were paid by the state in each month of 2018 and 2019, as well as information on each of the state's 21 bargaining units, the complaint said. In March, the organization submitted a second request asking for information about state employees employed in bargaining units.

In both instances, the department said the requested documents were exempt from disclosure because they were "part of the collective bargaining process." In response to the second request, the department also said while it was able to access the requested documents, it was not entitled to distribute the documents since it did not own them.

The organization said in its complaint the information in the documents would allow its members "to ascertain funding priorities within the state, better understand the potential needs of the specific employees, and inform employees of their First Amendment rights regarding compelled speech."

The plaintiffs have asked the court to compel production of the requested records, and filed the suit in Sacramento County superior court.

-- Jessica Mach