On May 7, 2021 Attorney General Bonta issued a press release announcing announcing his court approved stipulation and Order settling litigation brought by media and First Amendment organizations over the pace of the SB 1421 compliance. Under the settlement the DOJ will expedite the release of officer use-of-force and certain misconduct records.
Under the agreement, DOJ will review hundreds of thousands of records for responsiveness and complete its production of responsive records by September 26. The agreement also provides for further proceedings, if necessary, to obtain further guidance from the court and to resolve any outstanding questions relating to the scope of the production. In addition, the DOJ will take steps to identify mechanisms to streamline the tracking and disclosure of records subject to SB 1421 in DOJ's possession and to help provide clear standards for other agencies to comply.
