Restricted Access to Data on Officials Gains : Senate OKs Bill to Extend, Expand Protection, Sends It to Assembly

Responding to reported threats against judges, prosecutors and public defenders, the Senate gave overwhelming approval Thursday to legislation that would restrict public access to the home addresses on state, county and city records of a broad category of public officials.

Under the legislation by Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys), the public, including news reporters, bill collectors, lawyers and others who regularly seek and use such information, no longer would have full access to such things as voter registration rolls and property tax records.

The measure was approved on a 30-3 vote and sent to the Assembly.

The bill would extend the current law that keeps confidential the home addresses of judges, police officers and state legislators in the release of state Department of Motor Vehicle records. The list covered by the DMV confidentiality law would be increased to include the attorney general, officials of the state Department of Justice, public defenders and county prosecutors.

And it would expand the number of public records covered--for all officials except legislators--to include city and county records, such as voter registration rolls. Access to such information would be limited to courts, law enforcement and certain other government agencies, such as the state Board of Equalization.

Rights of Public Defended

Critics of the bill, including representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union, defended the right of the public to the home-address records. Marjorie C. Swartz, a lobbyist for the ACLU, said that if the bill becomes law, it will “interfere with the average person’s right to access to this information when they need to do something like serve a lawsuit, serve or enforce a lien, or find out where a person lives in order to file a suit.”

Robbins acknowledged after the vote that the legislation raises questions about shutting off the free flow of public information, but said his bill is necessary because of threats against judges, lawyers, police officers and others in the criminal justice system.

The lawmaker said he would ask the Legislature’s lawyer if it is possible to draft an amendment to the bill that would allow continued access to the information by people with a legitimate need for it.

“A scary collection of crazies are out there,” Robbins said, adding that his intent is to “stop someone who wants to harass, threaten or attack a judge or prosecutor. . . . I don’t want to shut off information to anyone with a legitimate right to it.”

He said he introduced the legislation at the request of Supervising San Fernando Municipal Judge Paul I. Metzler.

Supporting the bill are the Los Angeles County Municipal Court Judges Assn., Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice, the California Public Defenders Assn. and the County Supervisors Assn.

Opposing the legislation, in addition to the ACLU, are the County Clerks Assn. and the California Assn. of Licensed Investigators.