County of Los Angeles v. Superior Court

Petitioner County of Los Angeles (the County) seeks extraordinary writ relief to compel respondent court to vacate its order granting real party in interest Cynthia Anderson-Barker’s petition for writ of mandate, brought pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA) (Gov. Code, § 6250 et seq.). 1 Respondent court ordered the County to disclose without any redaction all electronically stored “CHP 180” forms in the possession of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department from January 1, 2012, to the present. The County contends respondent court erred in finding inapplicable the exemptions found in section 6254 and 6255, parts of the CPRA. Because we conclude that the CHP 180 forms as requested are exempt from disclosure under section 6254, subdivision (k) as a matter of law, we direct respondent court to set aside its order and enter a new order denying Anderson-Barker’s petition for writ of mandate.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

A CHP 180 form is used by the sheriff’s department to document when a vehicle is towed to be stored or impounded, effectively removing it from the owner’s control and temporarily depriving the owner of possession. The sheriff’s manual dictates that…