What’s your California Public Records IQ

What’s your California Public Records IQ?

Here are the answers in Bold.

Each correct answer is worth 4 IQ points. A perfect score is 200.

Add up the number of IQ points and then see below how you rate as a California Public Records expert.

True or False? All of these statements refer to California Public Records:

False For licensed private investigators, voter registration records are completely open.
False Federal search warrants are less likely to be sealed than local search warrants.
True To find a local search warrant, you don’t need the name of the suspect.
True The documentary transfer tax on a deed can include municipal city taxes also.
True The coroner gets involved if the decedent hadn’t seen a doctor in the past 20 days.
False Frequently, the “informant” listed on the death certificate found the body.
True Traffic cases are not heard in municipal court.
False Foreign-born citizens must prove their U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote.
True The Health Department is the best place to find recent death certificates.
False Find the “assessee” at the assessor’s office and you have surely found the owner.
True The county recorder keeps military discharge records on file.
True The police chief files a statement of economic interest but the sheriff doesn’t.
False Females must be at least 18 years of age before they can register to vote.
False Fictitious name statements are not required in unincorporated areas.
True Trust deeds remain on file at the recorder even after the loan is completely repaid.
False Fines charged for overdue library books are not a matter of public record.
True The California Public Records Act says arrest information is public record.
False Financial records of United Way are not publicly available at the IRS.
True The grantor on a recorded document can be either the seller or the buyer.
True The homeowner’s exemption suggests that the owners live in the house they own.
False Fido’s rabies vaccination records are not a matter of public record.
False Fresno’s assembly candidates don’t need to file campaign papers in L.A. County.
False For security purposes (post-911) birth records are no longer public record.
True The confidential marriage certificate does not require witness signatures.
True The grantor on a quitclaim deed may have never had interest in the property.

Multiple Choice.

A borrower on a deed of trust will be identified as a) the trustor, b) the trustee, c) the beneficiary, d) the grantee, e) none of these.
Building permits are on file at the a) state level, b) the city or county level, c) the county level only, d) the city level only, e) the federal level.
Don’t bother looking at the Secretary of State for a) notary public records, b) limited liability company files, c) statements of officers, d) names of limited partners, e) out-of-state corporations.
Bankruptcy records are available for viewing at a) superior court, b) U.S. District Court, c) Board of Equalization, d) state court, e) County Bankruptcy Court.
Every notary knows that he or she will lose their commission if they a) notarize a document signed by someone they’ve never met, b) buy their rubber stamp from a local printer, c) show register to a private investigator, d) show their register to a journalist, e) refuse to show or make a copy of any particular line item a private investigator or journalist requests.
Business license information is certainly available at of a) the County Recorder’s office, b) City Hall, c) Superior Court, d) the Country Tax Collector, e) none of these.
Any couple may obtain a confidential marriage certificate a) if they can prove they’ve been shacking up, b) if either is HIV positive, c) if either one is a sworn officer, d) if they were married out of state, e) if either is a protected witness.
Animal licensing records usually are not available for viewing at a) the County Health Department, b) City Hall, c) the Humane Society, d) the ASPCA, The Department of Animal Regulation.
Bank account information can show up as public record a) in an individual’s IRS tax returns, b) in a divorce or probate file, c) at the County Assessor’s Office, d) at business license desk at Superior Court, e) at the business license desk at City Hall.
Corporate filings such as 10K’s, annual reports, 10Qs and proxy statements are best available at the office of a) Secretary of State, b) California Department of Corporations, c) Securities and Exchange Commission, d) Board of Equalization, e) County Recorder.
County Tax Collector records are likely to include a) marriage records, b) assessor’s map books, c) unsecured property, d) income tax records, e) automobile ownership records.
Coroner’s case files are a) never available for public viewing, b) available to family members only, c) are available to anyone, d) are available only with a court order, e) are available to private investigators who are on the Registered Searcher list at that county.
Assessor records in California are usually sorted by a) book, page and parcel, b) tract, section and lot, c) tract, page and lot, d) book, section, lot, e) township, block, parcel.
Army personnel records for retired and discharged soldiers are available at the National Personnel Records Center in a) St. Louis, MO, b) Alexandria, VA, c) Washington, DC, d) College Park, MD, e) Ft. Benning, GA.
Copies of other people’s marriage and death certificates are a) more difficult to obtain since 911, b) not available to anyone except government employees, c) easier to obtain since 911, d) are available only to family members, e) available only if you have a power of attorney.
Electric bills are a matter of public record a) if the subscriber is 30 days behind on payments, b) if the subscriber is 60 days behind on the payment, c) if the subscriber is a business, d) if the subscriber is a 501(c)(3) corporation, e) none of the above.
Campaign financing statements are available at the a) city and county levels only, b) county and state levels only, c) city, county, state and federal levels, d) city and federal levels only, e) county and federal levels only.
DMV registration records may be outdated, but average citizens might be able to zero in on the owner’s new neighborhood by running the license number online at the website of the a) California Highway Patrol, b) Department of Insurance, c) Smog Certification Site, d) Bureau of Automotive Repair’s Smog Check website, e) California Department of Auto Financing.
Buyer’s signatures are most likely to appear on a) the grant deed, b) the deed of trust, c) the quit claim deed, d) the reconveyance, e) none of these.
CC&Rs are a matter of public record at a) the county assessor’s office, b) the county tax collector’s office, c) the county recorder’s office, d) the city clerk’s office, e) the city zoning commission’s office.
California’s Public Records Act specifics are spelled out in the a) Code of Civil Procedures, b) Evidence Code, c) Government Code, d) Penal Code, e) Administrative Code.
Exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act do not include a) personal information, b) banking records, c) national security, d) ongoing investigative files, e) correspondence with corporations.
Current and former inmate information is available online at the website of a) every county sheriff, b) the California Department of Corrections, c) The U.S. Bureau of Prisons, d) the California Attorney General, e) the FBI.
Airplane ownership indicators can be found at the F.A.A. and very often at the a) county tax collector’s office, b) registrar of voters, c) DMV, d) Department of Corporations, e) none of these.
A person cannot obtain complete voter registration record access unless he or she a) is attempting to serve legal papers b) is investigating voter fraud, c) is doing academic research, d) is a journalist on assignment, e) is running for office.

How did you rate?

If your score was:

200 Your statue should stand outside the Capitol Building in Sacramento and you should be charging $500 per hour for your services.

197-199 You need to take a refresher course in basic math (multiplication or addition). You score must be divisible by 4.

180-196 You are among the best of the best in California. Would you like to help me with the rewrite of my Investigator’s Handbook?

160-176 You’re a California Public Records Genius and you are worth your weight in gold (how much do you weigh?)

140-156 You’re a borderline genius. Take the test results to your spouse and demand more respect!

120-136 You’re certainly an above-average public records practitioner. Consider joining me on a civic center walking tour.

100-116 You’re an average public records investigator and could benefit from a walking tour and a daylong seminar.

80-96 Your way more knowledgeable that average citizens, but slightly below average among investigators. Practice more. Take classes.

68-80 If you’re new to the investigative field (or a recently retired law enforcement person) this score is OK, but you must improve!

48-64 You need to immerse yourself in public records and get more experience. You’re not as efficient as you could be. Time is money.

32-44 Maybe you hurried to finish the test. Did you sleep well last night? Maybe you need these folks.

20-28 You run a serious risk of getting lost in the basement of the courthouse and never finding your way out.

10-16 It’s unlikely you can find the courthouse, unless you’re arrested. Maybe you can get a job here.

Under 10 You should stand in line here.

If you haven’t already figured it out, by taking the test – even if you failed it – you already know more than you knew beforehand. When you found the correct answers, you learned even more.

Now that you have momentum, you should consider signing up for one of Don Ray’s public records seminars, joining him on a walking tour of civic center, inviting him to your area for in-person training or hiring him as a consultant.

No matter how good you are, you can still learn more.

Please let me know how you did and how I might improve this quiz.

Don Ray

donray@donray.com

(818) 237-3728

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