Informal Opinion Letter Summary

UIPA Memo 12-3

Mayor's Public Schedule

Requester asked whether the City and County of Honolulu (City) properly denied her requests (1) for a copy of the Mayor’s Public Schedule, and (2) to be placed on a list of news media persons who are regularly emailed updates of the Mayor’s Public Schedule.

OIP found that the Mayor’s Public Schedule does not fall within an exception to disclosure under the UIPA, and the City must disclose it upon request.

The UIPA does not require agencies to respond to “standing requests” for records to be created in the future, and it likewise does not require agencies to create or maintain email lists for recipients of government records to be created in the future. The fact that the City chose to create such a list for routine distribution of the Mayor’s Public Schedule to a limited number of outside recipients is an undertaking outside the scope of the UIPA, and does not have the effect of creating a UIPA obligation for the City to expand the distribution list to any member of the public wishing to be included. The City is therefore not required under the UIPA to add Requester to its list of news media persons who are regularly emailed updates of the Mayor’s Public Schedule.

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