republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20152016/sb-441.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "California Public Records Act: exemptions."
description: "(1) The California Public Records Act requires that public records be open to inspection at all times during the office hours of a public agency, defined as any state or local agency, and that every person has a right to inspect any public record, except as specifically provided. The act further requires that a reasonably segregable portion of a public record be available for inspection by any person requesting the public record after deletion of the portions that are exempted by law."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20152016"
identifier: "SB 441"
citation: "California SB 441 (20152016)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["California Public Records Act: exemptions."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Wolk"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 50
vote_count: 14
first_action: "2015-02-25"
last_action: "2016-09-22"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/e0c9bc55-ea7d-47f1-ad64-f4769809a15a"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441"
source_hash: "5017d52d7ff2646d519552ea9a01ae14b55abe35a55989dce03b761ea2a17529"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California SB 441 (20152016) — California Public Records Act: exemptions.

(1) The California Public Records Act requires that public records be open to inspection at all times during the office hours of a public agency, defined as any state or local agency, and that every person has a right to inspect any public record, except as specifically provided. The act further requires that a reasonably segregable portion of a public record be available for inspection by any person requesting the public record after deletion of the portions that are exempted by law.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/25/15 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44199INT)
2. **04/06/15 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44198AMD)
3. **06/09/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44197AMD)
4. **06/22/16 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44196AMD)
5. **09/22/16 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44194CHP)
6. **SB441** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441)
7. **08/19/16 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB441&version=20150SB44195ENR)

## Votes

- SB 441 Leno Senate Third Reading By TING — **50–28** (pass) · lower
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar — **10–0** (pass) · lower
- Unfinished Business SB441 Wolk Concurrence — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- 3rd Reading — **26–13** (pass) · upper
- Do pass — **5–2** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **7–1** (pass) · lower
- SB 441 Wolk Consent Calendar Second Day — **78–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. — **12–5** (pass) · lower
- Do pass. To Consent Calendar. — **20–0** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] — **5–0** (pass) · upper
- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Local Government] — **5–2** (pass) · lower
- That the Assembly amendments be concurred in — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Placed on suspense file — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Be re-referred to the Committee on [Judiciary] — **10–0** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Wolk — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2015-02-25** Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. `introduction, reading-1`
- **2015-02-26** From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 28.
- **2015-03-05** Referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-06** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2015-04-09** Re-referred to Coms. on T. & H. and GOV. & F. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-09** Withdrawn from committee.
- **2015-04-09** Re-referred to Com. on GOV. & F. `referral-committee`
- **2015-04-21** Set for hearing April 29.
- **2015-04-29** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 815.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-05-08** Set for hearing May 18.
- **2015-05-18** May 18 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2015-05-23** Set for hearing May 28.
- **2015-05-28** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 1153.) (May 28). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-05-28** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-06-01** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 26. Noes 13. Page 1189.) Ordered to the Assembly. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-06-02** In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. `reading-1`
- **2015-06-18** Referred to Coms. on H. & C.D. and L. GOV. `referral-committee`
- **2015-07-01** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-07-16** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 1.) (July 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-08-19** August 19 set for first hearing. Placed on APPR. suspense file.
- **2015-08-28** From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (August 27). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2015-08-31** Read second time. Ordered to third reading. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2015-09-08** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 50. Noes 28. Page 2972.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2015-09-08** In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
- **2015-09-11** Withdrawn from engrossing and enrolling.
- **2015-09-11** Ordered to the Assembly.
- **2015-09-12** In Assembly. Held at Desk.
- **2015-09-12** Action rescinded whereby the bill was read a third time, passed, and ordered to the Senate.
- **2015-09-12** Ordered to inactive file on request of Assembly Member Holden.
- **2016-06-06** Notice of intention to remove from inactive file given by Assembly Member Calderon.
- **2016-06-08** From inactive file.
- **2016-06-08** Ordered to third reading.
- **2016-06-09** Read third time and amended. `reading-3, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-09** Ordered to third reading.
- **2016-06-09** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.2. `referral-committee`
- **2016-06-16** From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 16). Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2016-06-22** From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee, reading-2, amendment-passage, committee-passage, reading-1`
- **2016-06-28** From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. `referral-committee, committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-03** From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 20. Noes 0.) (August 3). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-04** Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2016-08-11** Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 5777.) Ordered to the Senate. `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2016-08-11** In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
- **2016-08-15** Re-referred to Com. on RLS. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). `referral-committee`
- **2016-08-15** From committee: Be re-referred to Com. on JUD. pursuant to Senate Rule 29.10(d). (Ayes 4. Noes 0. Page 4954.) Re-referred to Com. on JUD. `referral-committee, committee-passage`
- **2016-08-16** Set for hearing August 17.
- **2016-08-17** From committee: That the Assembly amendments be concurred in. (Ayes 7. Noes 0. Page 5077.) `committee-passage`
- **2016-08-18** Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 5112.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. `committee-passage-favorable, amendment-passage`
- **2016-08-24** Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 5 p.m.
- **2016-09-22** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2016-09-22** Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 477, Statutes of 2016.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/e0c9bc55-ea7d-47f1-ad64-f4769809a15a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).