AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 19, 2026

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

98

Introduced by Assembly Members Ellis and Jeff Gonzalez

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Alanis)

February 18, 2026

An act to add Section 11457 to the Food and Agricultural Code, and to amend Section 7930.180 of the Government Code, relating to pest control.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law, added by the Governor’s Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1991, creates the Department of Pesticide Regulation, which is administered by the Director of Pesticide Regulation. Existing law authorizes the director to, among other things, adopt regulations for the issuance and renewal of licenses and certificates for pest control operations. The California Public Records Act requires a public agency, defined to mean a state or local agency, to make its public records available for public inspection and to make copies available upon request and payment of a fee, unless the public records are exempt from disclosure.

This bill would, in order to protect the privacy of individual applicants, licensees, and certificate holders, prohibit personal information, as defined, collected pursuant to these provisions from being considered a public record, as specified, and would exempt that personal information from the California Public Records Act, as specified. The bill would authorize the department to disclose an individual applicant, licensee, or certificate holder’s address of record, except the bill would require the department to allow an applicant, licensee, or certificate holder to provide a post office box number or other alternate address, instead of a home address, as the address of record. unless the individual applicant, licensee, or certificate holder has designated the address of record as personal information.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 11457 is added to the Food and Agricultural Code, to read:

11457.

(a) In order to protect the privacy of individual applicants, licensees, and certificate holders, personal information collected pursuant to this division shall not be considered a public record and shall not be disclosed pursuant to a request under the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code), unless required pursuant to a court order by a court of competent jurisdiction.

(b) (1) The department may disclose an individual applicant, licensee, or certificate holder’s address of record. The department shall allow an applicant, licensee, or certificate holder to provide a post office box number or other alternate address, instead of a home address, as the address of record. record, unless the individual applicant, licensee, or certificate holder has designated the address of record as personal information, as defined in subdivision (d).

(2) This section does not prevent the department from also requiring an individual applicant, licensee, or certificate holder who has provided a post office box number or other alternative mailing address as the address of record pursuant to paragraph (1) to provide a physical business or residential address only for the department’s internal administrative use and not for disclosure as the applicant, licensee, or certificate holder’s address of record on the department’s internet website.

(d) For purposes of this section, “personal information” means information, other than the name and mailing address, name, that identifies an individual, including an individual’s photograph, social security number, address, telephone number, and medical or disability information, but does not include other information related to licensing such as incidents, rules or safety violations, misconduct, commendations, and license status.

SEC. 2.

Section 7930.180 of the Government Code is amended to read:

7930.180.

The following provisions may operate to exempt certain records, or portions thereof, from disclosure pursuant to this division:

Parole revocation proceedings, confidentiality of information in reports, Section 3063.5, Penal Code.

Passenger fishing boat licenses, records, Section 7923, Fish and Game Code.

Paternity, acknowledgment, confidentiality of records, Section 102760, Health and Safety Code.

Patient-physician confidential communication, Sections 992 and 994, Evidence Code.

Patient records, confidentiality of, Section 123135, Health and Safety Code.

Payroll records, confidentiality of, Section 1776, Labor Code.

Peace officer personnel records, confidentiality of, Sections 832.7 and 832.8, Penal Code.

Penitential communication between penitent and clergy, Sections 1032 and 1033, Evidence Code.

Personal Care Services Program, exemption from disclosure for information regarding persons paid by the state to provide personal care services, Section 7926.300, this code.

Personal Income Tax, disclosure of information, Article 2 (commencing with Section 19542) of Chapter 7 of Part 10.2 of Division 2, Revenue and Taxation Code.

Personal information, Information Practices Act, prohibitions against disclosure by state agencies, Sections 1798.24 and 1798.75, Civil Code.

Personal information, subpoena of records containing, Section 1985.4, Code of Civil Procedure.

Personal representative, confidentiality of personal representative’s birthdate and driver’s license number, Section 8404, Probate Code.

Persons formerly classified as mentally abnormal sex offenders committed to a state hospital, confidentiality of records, Section 4135, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Persons with mental health disorders, court-ordered evaluation, confidentiality of reports, Section 5202, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Persons with mental health disorders, confidentiality of written consent to detainment, Section 5326.4, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Persons with mental health disorders voluntarily detained and receiving services, confidentiality of records and information, Sections 5328, 5328.15, 5328.2, 5328.4, 5328.8, and 5328.9, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Persons with mental health disorders, weapons restrictions, confidentiality of information about, Section 8103, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Pest control licenses, confidentiality of personal information, Section 11457, Food and Agricultural Code.

Petition signatures, Section 18650, Elections Code.

Petroleum supply and pricing, confidential information, Sections 25364 and 25366, Public Resources Code.

Pharmacist, alcohol or dangerous drug diversion and rehabilitation records, confidentiality of, Section 4372, Business and Professions Code.

Physical therapist or assistant, records of dangerous drug or alcohol diversion and rehabilitation, confidentiality of, Section 2667, Business and Professions Code.

Physical or mental condition or conviction of controlled substance offense, records in Department of Motor Vehicles, confidentiality of, Section 1808.5, Vehicle Code.

Physician assistant, alcohol or dangerous drug diversion and rehabilitation records, confidentiality of, Section 3534.7, Business and Professions Code.

Physician competency examination, confidentiality of reports, Section 2294, Business and Professions Code.

Physicians and surgeons, confidentiality of reports of patients with a lapse of consciousness disorder, Section 103900, Health and Safety Code.

Physician Services Account, confidentiality of patient names in claims, Section 16956, Welfare and Institutions Code.

Pilots, confidentiality of personal information, Section 1157.1, Harbors and Navigation Code.

Pollution Control Financing Authority, financial data submitted to, Section 7924.505, this code.

Postmortem or autopsy photos, Section 129, Code of Civil Procedure.

SEC. 3.

The Legislature finds and declares that Sections 1 and 2 of this act, which add Section 11457 to the Food and Agricultural Code and amend Section 7930.180 of the Government Code, impose a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:

In order to protect the personal information of individual pest control applicants, licensees, and certificate holders, it is necessary that this act limit the public’s right of access to that information.