The San Marino Unified School District has spent more than $50,000 in labor, materials and attorney fees to provide a local parent with information he has requested under the California Public Records Act, according to a document received by The Tribune.
Rick Copeland, who started a non-profit organization called United Citizens for Responsible Government, has been sent more than 15,000 pages of documents and other reports, according to the SMUSD.
Since Copeland filed a claim against the district earlier in the year and threatened a lawsuit, the district must clear through attorneys all information it sends to Copeland.
The costs, which total $51,655.98 and continue to grow as Copeland has filed more requests that are not reflected in the document provided, are for staff labor, consultant fees, legal services, copying and freight.
Copeland responded Wednesday to a series of questions from The Tribune by saying he was occupied with work and could not immediately comment. Copeland is an attorney and mediator.
Copeland’s first request is dated January 29, 2018 and seeks information regarding the district’s proposed facilities modernization bond, which the school board eventually decided to table.
“I appreciate that California law allows these public records requests, but I hope the community understands that the District has no choice but to respond to these massive lists of requests, which requires the diversion of staff time and district resources that otherwise would have been spent educating our students,” said Interim Superintendent Loren Kleinrock. “Because Mr. Copeland has threatened litigation against the district, responding to his requests has significant costs in staff time and legal fees.”
To date, Copeland has made 39 requests for information.
