Title
Approve the 2025 Annual Report
Body
To: Chair and Members of the Open Government Commission
From: Lara Weisiger, City Clerk
BACKGROUND
The Sunshine Ordinance, which is codified in Alameda Municipal Code (AMC), addresses Open Government Commission reports. AMC Section 2-93.6 states: “The Commission shall prepare an annual report to be placed on the City's website and made generally publicly available in printed form of alleged violations of the Ordinance heard by the Hearing Officer during the previous calendar year. The report shall identify the nature of the alleged violation, the relief sought by each petition, the disposition or current status thereof, the location of all records relevant to each petition, and any practical or policy problems encountered in the administration of the Sunshine Ordinance.” In addition, AMC Section 2-22.4 outlines a Commission duty to: “From time to time as the Commission sees fit, issue public reports evaluating compliance with the Sunshine Ordinance by the City or any Department, Office, or Official thereof.”
In prior years, the Commission has either requested staff’s assistance or appointed a subcommittee to draft the report. On October 6, 2025, the Commission asked the City Clerk to draft the 2025 Annual Report and provided direction on specific information to include regarding public records requests.
DISCUSSION
The draft Annual Report (Exhibit A) summarizes the Sunshine Ordinance complaints and public records requests from 2025. Only one Sunshine Ordinance complaint was submitted. A hearing was not scheduled because the complaint was incomplete. If possible, the Commission requested the following details about records requests be included in the Annual Report: the number of requests that came from agencies/companies or law firms, if specified; the number of requests with Alameda and non-Alameda addresses, if specified; the number of documents produced; and whether requests were fulfilled within 10 days. In response to the Commission inquiry about whether staff tracks the amount of time spent on requests, all City Departments were asked and none track time.
RECOMMENDATION
Review and approve the Annual Report or provide additional direction to have the matter return.
Exhibit:
1. Draft 2025 Annual Report