(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Local summary criminal history information” means the master record of information compiled by any local criminal justice agency pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 13100) of Title 3 of Part 4 pertaining to the identification and criminal history of any person, such as name, date of birth, physical description, dates of arrests, arresting agencies and booking numbers, charges, dispositions, and similar data about the person.

(2) “Local summary criminal history information” does not refer to records and data compiled by criminal justice agencies other than that local agency, nor does it refer to records of complaints to or investigations conducted by, or records of intelligence information or security procedures of, the local agency.

(3) “Local agency” means a local criminal justice agency.

(b) A local agency shall furnish local summary criminal history information to any of the following, when needed in the course of their duties, provided that when information is furnished to assist an agency, officer, or official of state or local government, a public utility, or any entity, in fulfilling employment, certification, or licensing duties, Chapter 1321 of the Statutes of 1974 and § 432.7 of the Labor Code shall apply:

(1) The courts of the state.

(2) Peace officers of the state, as defined in Section 830.1, subdivisions (a) and (d) of Section 830.2, subdivisions (a), (b), and (j) of Section 830.3, and subdivisions (a), (b), and (c) of Section 830.5.

(3) District attorneys of the state.

(4) Prosecuting city attorneys of any city within the state.

(5) City attorneys pursuing civil gang injunctions pursuant to Section 186.22a, or drug abatement actions pursuant to Section 3479 or 3480 of the Civil Code, or § 11571 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) Probation officers of the state.

(7) Parole officers of the state.

(8) A public defender or attorney of record when representing a person in proceedings upon a petition for a certificate of rehabilitation and pardon pursuant to Section 4852.08.

(9) A public defender or attorney of record when representing a person in a criminal case, or a parole, mandatory supervision, or postrelease community supervision revocation or revocation extension hearing, and when authorized access by statutory or decisional law.

(10) Any agency, officer, or official of the state when the local summary criminal history information is required to implement a statute, regulation, or ordinance that expressly refers to specific criminal conduct applicable to the subject person of the local summary criminal history information, and contains requirements or exclusions, or both, expressly based upon the specified criminal conduct.

(11) Any city, county, city and county, or district, or any officer or official thereof, when access is needed in order to assist the agency, officer, or official in fulfilling employment, certification, or licensing duties, and when the access is specifically authorized by the city council, board of supervisors, or governing board of the city, county, or district when the local summary criminal history information is required to implement a statute, regulation, or ordinance that expressly refers to specific criminal conduct applicable to the subject person of the local summary criminal history information, and contains requirements or exclusions, or both, expressly based upon the specified criminal conduct.

(12) The subject of the local summary criminal history information.

(13) Any person or entity when access is expressly authorized by statute when the local summary criminal history information is required to implement a statute, regulation, or ordinance that expressly refers to specific criminal conduct applicable to the subject person of the local summary criminal history information, and contains requirements or exclusions, or both, expressly based upon the specified criminal conduct.

(14) Any managing or supervising correctional officer of a county jail or other county correctional facility.

(15) Local child support agencies established by § 17304 of the Family Code. When a local child support agency closes a support enforcement case containing summary criminal history information, the agency shall delete or purge from the file and destroy any documents or information concerning or arising from offenses for or of which the parent has been arrested, charged, or convicted, other than for offenses related to the parents having failed to provide support for the minor children, consistent with § 17531 of the Family Code.

(16) County child welfare agency personnel who have been delegated the authority of county probation officers to access state summary criminal information pursuant to § 272 of the Welfare and Institutions Code for the purposes specified in § 16504.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(17) A humane officer appointed pursuant to § 14502 of the Corporations Code, for the purposes of performing the officer’s duties. A local agency may charge a reasonable fee sufficient to cover the costs of providing information pursuant to this paragraph.

(c) The local agency may furnish local summary criminal history information, upon a showing of a compelling need, to any of the following, provided that when information is furnished to assist an agency, officer, or official of state or local government, a public utility, or any entity, in fulfilling employment, certification, or licensing duties, Chapter 1321 of the Statutes of 1974 and § 432.7 of the Labor Code shall apply:

(1) Any public utility, as defined in § 216 of the Public Utilities Code, that operates a nuclear energy facility when access is needed to assist in employing persons to work at the facility, provided that, if the local agency supplies the information, it shall furnish a copy of this information to the person to whom the information relates.

(2) To a peace officer of the state other than those included in subdivision (b).

(3) An animal control officer, authorized to exercise powers specified in Section 830.9, for the purposes of performing the officer’s official duties. A local agency may charge a reasonable fee sufficient to cover the costs of providing information pursuant to this paragraph.

(4) To a peace officer of another country.

(5) To public officers, other than peace officers, of the United States, other states, or possessions or territories of the United States, provided that access to records similar to local summary criminal history information is expressly authorized by a statute of the United States, other states, or possessions or territories of the United States when this information is needed for the performance of their official duties.

(6) To any person when disclosure is requested by a probation, parole, or peace officer with the consent of the subject of the local summary criminal history information and for purposes of furthering the rehabilitation of the subject.

(7) The courts of the United States, other states, or territories or possessions of the United States.

(8) Peace officers of the United States, other states, or territories or possessions of the United States.

(9) To any individual who is the subject of the record requested when needed in conjunction with an application to enter the United States or any foreign nation.

(10) Any public utility, as defined in § 216 of the Public Utilities Code, when access is needed to assist in employing persons who will be seeking entrance to private residences in the course of their employment. The information provided shall be limited to the record of convictions and any arrest for which the person is released on bail or on the person’s own recognizance pending trial.

If the local agency supplies the information pursuant to this paragraph, it shall furnish a copy of the information to the person to whom the information relates.

Any information obtained from the local summary criminal history is confidential and the receiving public utility shall not disclose its contents, other than for the purpose for which it was acquired. The local summary criminal history information in the possession of the public utility and all copies made from it shall be destroyed 30 days after employment is denied or granted, including any appeal periods, except for those cases where an employee or applicant is out on bail or on the person’s own recognizance pending trial, in which case the state summary criminal history information and all copies shall be destroyed 30 days after the case is resolved, including any appeal periods.

A violation of any of the provisions of this paragraph is a misdemeanor, and shall give the employee or applicant who is injured by the violation a cause of action against the public utility to recover damages proximately caused by the violation.

Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing any duty upon public utilities to request local summary criminal history information on any current or prospective employee.

Seeking entrance to private residences in the course of employment shall be deemed a “compelling need” as required to be shown in this subdivision.

(11) Any city, county, city and county, or district, or any officer or official thereof, if a written request is made to a local law enforcement agency and the information is needed to assist in the screening of a prospective concessionaire, and any affiliate or associate thereof, as these terms are defined in subdivision (k) of § 432.7 of the Labor Code, for the purposes of consenting to, or approving of, the prospective concessionaire’s application for, or acquisition of, any beneficial interest in a concession, lease, or other property interest.

Any local government’s request for local summary criminal history information for purposes of screening a prospective concessionaire and their affiliates or associates before approving or denying an application for, or acquisition of, any beneficial interest in a concession, lease, or other property interest is deemed a “compelling need” as required by this subdivision. However, only local summary criminal history information pertaining to criminal convictions may be obtained pursuant to this paragraph.

Any information obtained from the local summary criminal history is confidential and the receiving local government shall not disclose its contents, other than for the purpose for which it was acquired. The local summary criminal history information in the possession of the local government and all copies made from it shall be destroyed not more than 30 days after the local government’s final decision to grant or deny consent to, or approval of, the prospective concessionaire’s application for, or acquisition of, a beneficial interest in a concession, lease, or other property interest. Nothing in this section shall be construed as imposing any duty upon a local government, or any officer or official thereof, to request local summary criminal history information on any current or prospective concessionaire or their affiliates or associates.

(12) A public agency described in subdivision (b) of § 15975 of the Government Code, for the purpose of oversight and enforcement policies with respect to its contracted providers.

(d) Whenever an authorized request for local summary criminal history information pertains to a person whose fingerprints are on file with the local agency and the local agency has no criminal history of that person, and the information is to be used for employment, licensing, or certification purposes, the fingerprint card accompanying the request for information, if any, may be stamped “no criminal record” and returned to the person or entity making the request.

(e) A local agency taking fingerprints of a person who is an applicant for licensing, employment, or certification may charge a fee to cover the cost of taking the fingerprints and processing the required documents.

(f) Whenever local summary criminal history information furnished pursuant to this section is to be used for employment, licensing, or certification purposes, the local agency shall charge the person or entity making the request a fee that it determines to be sufficient to reimburse the local agency for the cost of furnishing the information, provided that no fee shall be charged to any public law enforcement agency for local summary criminal history information furnished to assist it in employing, licensing, or certifying a person who is applying for employment with the agency as a peace officer or criminal investigator. Any state agency required to pay a fee to the local agency for information received under this section may charge the applicant a fee sufficient to reimburse the agency for the expense.

(g) Whenever there is a conflict, the processing of criminal fingerprints shall take priority over the processing of applicant fingerprints.

(h) It is not a violation of this article to disseminate statistical or research information obtained from a record, provided that the identity of the subject of the record is not disclosed.

(i) It is not a violation of this article to include information obtained from a record in (1) a transcript or record of a judicial or administrative proceeding or (2) any other public record when the inclusion of the information in the public record is authorized by a court, statute, or decisional law.

(j) Notwithstanding any other law, a public prosecutor may, in response to a written request made pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 7922.500) and Article 2 (commencing with Section 7922.525) of Chapter 1 of Part 3 of Division 10 of Title 1 of the Government Code, provide information from a local summary criminal history, if release of the information would enhance public safety, the interest of justice, or the public’s understanding of the justice system and the person making the request declares that the request is made for a scholarly or journalistic purpose. If a person in a declaration required by this subdivision willfully states as true any material fact that person knows to be false, the person shall be subject to a civil penalty not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000). The requestor shall be informed in writing of this penalty. An action to impose a civil penalty under this subdivision may be brought by any public prosecutor and shall be enforced as a civil judgment.

(k) Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of Justice or any state or local law enforcement agency may require the submission of fingerprints for the purpose of conducting summary criminal history information record checks that are authorized by law.

(l) Any local criminal justice agency may release, within five years of the arrest, information concerning an arrest or detention of a peace officer or applicant for a position as a peace officer, as defined in Section 830, that did not result in conviction, and for which the person did not complete a postarrest diversion program or a deferred entry of judgment program, to a governmental agency employer of that peace officer or applicant.

(m) Any local criminal justice agency may release information concerning an arrest of a peace officer or applicant for a position as a peace officer, as defined in Section 830, that did not result in conviction but for which the person completed a postarrest diversion program or a deferred entry of judgment program, or information concerning a referral to and participation in any postarrest diversion program or a deferred entry of judgment program to a governmental agency employer of that peace officer or applicant.

(n) Notwithstanding subdivision (l) or (m), a local criminal justice agency shall not release information under the following circumstances:

(1) Information concerning an arrest for which diversion or a deferred entry of judgment program has been ordered without attempting to determine whether diversion or a deferred entry of judgment program has been successfully completed.

(2) Information concerning an arrest or detention followed by a dismissal or release without attempting to determine whether the individual was exonerated.

(3) Information concerning an arrest without a disposition without attempting to determine whether diversion has been successfully completed or the individual was exonerated.

(o) A public prosecutor may provide a public defender’s office, an alternate public defender’s office, or a licensed attorney of record in a criminal case with a list containing only the names of the peace officer and defendant and the corresponding case number to facilitate and expedite notifying counsel representing criminal defendants whose cases may involve testimony by that peace officer of exculpatory or impeachment evidence involving that peace officer. Any disclosure made pursuant to this subdivision shall only be made upon agreement by the public defender’s office, alternate public defender’s office, or the licensed attorney of record in a criminal case. Any disclosure pursuant to this subdivision shall not constitute disclosure under any other law, nor shall any privilege or confidentiality be deemed waived by that disclosure. This subdivision shall not be construed to otherwise limit any legal mandate to disclose evidence or information, including, but not limited to, the disclosures required under Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1054) of Title 6 of Part 2.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 453, Sec. 1. (AB 709) Effective January 1, 2024.)