FOIA Request to Santa Monica College regarding Public University FY 2024 Employee Salaries on December 5, 2025.
Golden State Today, a media organization focused on local governmental affairs, has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Santa Monica College. The request seeks detailed records of employee compensation for all individuals employed by the university during Fiscal Year 2024. This period is typically defined as spanning from September 2024 through July 2025, although the request acknowledges that Santa Monica College may use different fiscal-year boundaries and asks for clarification if so.
The specific data fields requested include the fiscal year, employee name, gender, age or year of birth (if not exempt), date of birth (if not exempt or limited to month/year), employer name, title or position, department, hire date, compensation amount (including base pay and any additional pay), compensation type (such as salary or hourly wage), and employment type (full-time or part-time). The request emphasizes that all responsive records should be produced even if some fields are missing and asks for non-exempt portions of records to be released in redacted form rather than withheld entirely.
Golden State Today is requesting this information under the California Public Records Act § 6250 et seq., with a preference for receiving it in electronic format. As a media entity involved in gathering and reporting news to the public, Golden State Today asserts its eligibility for a fee waiver due to its role in providing transparency and holding public institutions accountable.
The requestor is affiliated with The Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy, a non-profit organization that assists media companies and advocacy groups in investigating government agencies using Freedom of Information laws. More information about this coalition can be found on their website at https://stopsecrecy.org/about/.
Our team will continue to keep you updated as we gather and report news related to this request and other matters of public interest. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further clarification regarding this matter.
