Paso Robles councilman ordered to turn records over by Thursday

May 9, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

Paso Robles City Councilman Chris Bausch has until Thursday to fully respond to a barrage of records requests from the San Luis Obispo Tribune or he will be required to allow a third party to gather the records.

The Tribune filed a lawsuit against Bausch and the City of Paso Robles over 19 records requests its reporters made over four months that according to Bausch include more than 700 searches. As more and more people contact public officials through their private cell phones or email accounts, those records are also subject to the Public Records Act if government issues are discussed.

The City of Paso Robles filed a proposal on Monday asking the court to allow Setec Investigations, a third-party consultant, to retrieve the requested records from Bausch’s personal electronics.

At a hearing on Friday, Bausch told the court he will provide the records by May 15.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Michael Kelley then ordered Bausch to turn the records over by May 15. If Bausch fails to do so, the court plans to order him to provide remote access to his personal devices along with passwords.

“If it becomes necessary to have a third party collect the records, because Council Member Bausch is unable to produce the records by May 15, or fails to do so, the court will approve, with some modifications, the proposal made by the city for processing records on Bausch’s personal electronic devices with the assistance of a third party consultant,” according to Kelley’s order.

If public officials fail to abide by the California Public Records Act, the requester can file a lawsuit asking the court to order the official to turn over documents. In most cases, the judge then allows the plaintiff to seek legal fees and court costs.

Judge Kelley set a hearing for Nov. 4 to look at the merits of the Tribune’s lawsuit.

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