DATE: November 17, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Douglas T. Sloan, County Counsel
Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: Salary Resolution Amendment (Org 0710) & Budget Resolutions (Orgs 0710 & 8210)
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve Amendment to the Salary Resolution adding one Paralegal position to County Counsel Org 0710, effective November 23, 2026, as reflected in Appendix “E”;
2. Adopt Budget Resolution increasing FY 2026-27 appropriations for County Counsel Org 0710 in the amount of $71,738 (4/5 vote); and
3. Adopt Budget Resolution decreasing FY 2026-27 appropriations for Appropriations for Contingencies - Budget Stabilization Reserve Org 8210 in the amount of $71,738 (4/5 vote).
REPORT
There is a transfer in Net County Cost (NCC) associated with the recommended actions. Approval of the first recommended action will add one Paralegal position to County Counsel Org 0710 to assist with the review and processing of documents requested under the California Public Records Act (PRA). Approval of the second and third recommended actions will adopt Budget Resolutions increasing FY 2026-27 appropriations in County Counsel Org 0710 and decreasing FY 2026-27 appropriations in Appropriations for Contingencies - Budget Stabilization Reserve Org 8210. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended actions, the existing Table of Positions will remain unchanged, and PRA requests will continue to be primarily coordinated and reviewed by the County Administrative Office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Approval of the second and third recommended actions will decrease FY 2026-27 appropriations in the Appropriations for Contingencies - Budget Stabilization Reserve Org 8210, releasing $71,738 in NCC to allow the re-budgeting of appropriations in Org 0710. The decrease in appropriations in Org 8210 will provide existing budgeted General Fund support for increased appropriations in Org 0710 needed to fund the additional position.
DISCUSSION:
The departments are requesting to add one Paralegal position effective November 23, 2026 to the County Counsel Org 0710 Table of Postions to provide the County with assistance in the review and procesing of PRA requests.
Currently, PRA requests for departments without a public information officer are coordinated through the County Administrative Office (CAO), through the Communications Director. The high volume of PRA requests, including an increasing number of requests generated by Artificial Intelligence, requires significant staff time and attention. Hiring a Paralegal to focus on PRA intake, review, and procesing, including review of documents for privilege, will aid the County in meeting its legal obligations with respect to the California PRA. Duties currently performed by the CAO with which the palegal may assist include:
• Reviewing and evaluating new PRA requests as they come in, including determining which departments or offices may have responsive records and identifying the scope of the request, and assigning them to the appropriate departments.
• Reviewing department PRAs to see if other departments need to be added due to the scope or complexity of the requests.
• Drafting and preparing PRA correspondence, including acknowledgment letters within the initial 10-day period, clarification requests, rolling production notices, and final response letters.
• Calling and/or emailing requesters to seek clarification and to help them narrow or edit the request for better specificity.
• Coordinating and following up with departments and offices on outstanding PRA assignments, responsive records, search results, and production deadlines to ensure requests continue moving forward and are completed in a timely manner.
• Administering the NextRequest PRA portal, including adding and removing users, managing departmental access, assigning requests, monitoring activity, and helping ensure the appropriate staff have access to the system.
• Conducting and coordinating searches for responsive records, including working with the Information Technology Services Department when email or electronic record searches are necessary.
• Reviewing responsive records, particularly emails and other electronic records such as texts, to determine responsiveness and identify information that may require redaction or additional review.
• Managing large or complex PRA requests, which can involve extensive email searches, reviewing large volumes of records, organizing documents, and coordinating multiple departments or offices.
• Tracking requests and deadlines, including monitoring rolling productions and ensuring requests continue moving toward completion.
• Communicating with requesters regarding the status or scope of requests and responding to questions or clarification issues.
• Coordinating with County Counsel and other offices when legal, redaction, privilege, or other issues arise that require additional review.
• Administering the NextRequest PRA portal, including adding and removing users, managing departmental access, assigning requests, monitoring activity, and helping ensure the appropriate staff have access to the system.
• Working with the General Services Department - Purchasing Division on the NextRequest agreement.
If approved by your Board, the addition of the Paralegal position will increase the total number of positions in County Counsel Org 0710 from 43 to 44.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
Salary Resolution Amendment - Appendix “E”
On file with Clerk - Budget Resolution (Org 0710)
On file with Clerk - Budget Resolution (Org 8210)
CAO ANALYST:
Amy Ryals