The Public Portal: How to Easily Find City Records

May 7, 2017 7:30 AM
by Denise Anderson-Warren

May 7-13, 2017 is City Clerks Week and my office will offer special programming to educate the community about the role of City Clerks and to share Santa Monica’s history through historical documents.

Some of these documents can be found in our Public Portal at publicdocs.smgov.net, a new resource for City Council documents. Researching through the Public Portal for items such as minutes, resolutions/ordinances or staff reports could not be easier. The Portal is accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time, including outside of business hours. What does this mean? You don’t have to wait for a public information request, but can look up many things in real time. The Public Portal will also provide final and often executed documents.

How does the Public Portal work?

Use the Portal’s form, you can enter a word or phrase on a subject you are interested in. If the subject is an extensive project such as the Expo Light Rail Project or the Zoning Code and over a hundred results are generated, then narrow your search by selecting a date range and/or document type.

If you are looking for a specific City Council resolution or ordinance and already know the number, then you may enter it in the Word or Phrase field and view/download a PDF copy.

Test out the Public Portal and enter our online contest from May 8-13. Participants will be asked five questions about the City’s history and answers can be found using the Public Portal. All who participate will be entered to win a prize. Visit smgov.net/clerk for contest details.

Santa Monica is over 100 years-old.  What about older documents?

Older and non-electronic documents are not available in the Portal.  However, my office will be setting up a display in the City Hall Lobby featuring these delicate, historical original documents such as handwritten minutes approving the incorporation of Santa Monica from the late 1800s, deeds acquiring City property, and resolutions and contracts approved at the time of the City’s Centennial Celebration in 1975. The display will be available during business hours and evenings of public meetings in City Hall.

If you stop by City Hall, remember to visit the City Clerk’s Office in Room 102 to get a promotional item.

Authored By

Denise Anderson-Warren
Director of Records and Election Services