Law Foundation of Silicon Valley v. City of Gilroy

In January 2026, DRA and The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley secured a landmark decision ensuring government agencies are held accountable when they improperly withhold materials essential to public accountability. The Supreme Court of California published its decision in City of Gilroy v. Superior Court, a case addressing the people’s right to access public records under the California Public Records Act (CPRA). This case represents a significant victory for government transparency and accountability.

The case arises from public records requests related to sweeps of homeless encampments in the City of Gilroy, which resulted in the destruction of personal property. The requests sought Gilroy Police Department’s bodycam footage. Gilroy resisted disclosure of this information by asserting blanket objections, not being forthcoming on the records it had and then destroying the documents.

The Court ruled that declaratory relief is available to enforce the public’s right to public records, particularly when a court declaration would resolve a dispute about the parties’ rights and obligations that is likely to affect future governmental conduct. Stated more simply, the Court ruled that Courts can hold government agencies accountable for failure to provide important information even when the documents no longer exist.

DRA and its partners encourage lawmakers, advocates, and community members to work together to strengthen California’s public records laws and ensure meaningful accountability when government transparency is violated. The Supreme Court also found that duties to preserve documents during the pendency of a public records act request do not exist and that the duty to preserve must be created through a legislative solution.

The Law Foundation of Silicon Valley was represented by Disability Rights Advocates, King & Spalding, and Goodwin Procter.