Public Records Requests to the San Francisco DIstrict Attorney's Office

To ensure the SFDA’s speedy receipt of public records requests, requests can be emailed to sfda.publicrecords@sfgov.org. No specific form is required, and legal citations are not necessary.

The SFDA responds to all requests for public records as promptly as reasonably possible, and provides responsive records, if any, as soon as possible after they are available.

Per California Gov. Code § 7922.535, SFDA is allowed 10 calendar days to respond to a public records request. In some cases, SFDA may extend its time to respond by an additional 14 calendar days. If SFDA extends the time to respond, the department will notify the requesting party in writing within the initial 10-day response period of the reason(s) for the extension and the estimated date of response.

The San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance provides an additional procedure called an “immediate disclosure request” (“IDR”). The requester must comply with the Sunshine Ordinance’s provisions to properly submit an IDR. The SFDA must respond to IDRs within 24 hours after receipt of the request. In appropriate cases, the timeframe to provide a response may be extended by 14 days.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SFDA RECORDS
Many categories of records held by the SFDA are sensitive, containing private and personal information of defendants, victims, witnesses, and employees. When making a public records request to the SFDA’s Office, please be aware that various statutes and court orders may limit the office’s ability to disclose records. Some of the laws imposing a limitation on disclosure carry criminal penalties for a violation of those laws. Below are a list of common exemptions that impact SFDA decisions on record disclosures.

EXEMPTIONS THAT MAY APPLY TO SFDA RECORDS (THIS IS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE LIST)
• Attorney work product. Code of Civil Pro. § 2018.030
• Discussions of individual defendant immigration consequences. Evid. Code § 351.2-.4
• Records related to juvenile cases. Welf. & Inst. Code § 827(b)(1).
• Records shared between government agencies (Official Information Privilege). Evid. Code § 1040.
• Investigatory records. Gov. Code § 7923.600.
• Summary criminal history information. Pen. Code § 13300 et seq.
• Police Officer Personnel Records. Pen. Code § 832.7.
• Records sealed by the court.
• Private records, privileged materials, and other records protected by law from disclosure. Gov. Code §§ 7927.700 – 7927.705.
• Constitutional Right of Privacy. Art. 1, § 1.