Blog Post: How to Stay Compliant with GC 7928.205 Without Slowing Down Your Staff

Kimberly Samuelson
Jul 15
2 min read

A New Privacy Mandate, and a New Opportunity to Build Trust

A new law in California has just raised the stakes for privacy compliance in local government. Assembly Bill AB883, now codified as GC 7928.205, prohibits agencies from publicly posting the home address, phone number, or assessor parcel number of any elected or appointed official online, unless you’ve obtained written permission from that person.

This might seem like a narrow issue, but in practice, it touches everything from building permits to commission rosters. And the penalties for accidental exposure could seriously erode public trust, or worse.

At CPS, we see this as more than a compliance obligation. It’s an opportunity to strengthen the trustworthiness of your digital systems using Laserfiche automation.

What the Law Actually Says

The new code section states:

“No state or local agency shall publicly post the home address, telephone number, or both the name and assessor parcel number associated with the home address of any elected or appointed official on the internet without first obtaining the written permission of that individual.”— GC 7928.205 (a)

For instance, in plain terms: If a building permit includes a commissioner’s name tied to their APN or address, you can’t publish it online, unless they’ve signed off.

That includes:

Current and former council members
Planning commissioners
Advisory board members
Anyone your city attorney defines as an “appointed official”

Two Smart Paths Forward, Powered by CPS + Laserfiche

We’re helping cities and special districts take one of two proactive approaches:

✅ Option 1: Request Authorization and Automate the Rest

Work with your attorney to define “appointed official”
Request written permission from each person
Store permissions permanently in Laserfiche
Let CPS build automation that:
- Flags documents mentioning protected individuals
- Automatically redacts home addresses or APNs
- Keeps redaction transparent to staff

This approach is best for agencies that want to publish confidently and minimize long-term workload.

🔒 Option 2: Don’t Request Authorization, Just Redact Automatically

Skip the outreach and simply apply redaction rules based on name matching
CPS helps configure Laserfiche to scan incoming documents for restricted names and redact any matching data before it hits the public portal

This method is best for agencies short on staff time or focused on simplicity.

Now, What About The Risk of Doing Nothing?

Option 3: Manual redaction with no automation might feel easier right now. But it introduces:

Risk of publishing protected data
Staff burden from inconsistent review
Public trust issues if something slips through

Why Work With CPS on Compliance?

We’ve helped almost 200 California cities align their Laserfiche systems with legal and records compliance. When you work with us, you’re not just getting automation—you’re getting a partner who understands California law, agency workflow, and the reality of being short-staffed.