The Tribune sued the city of Paso Robles and City Councilmember Chris Bausch over what it said are unfulfilled Public Records Act requests.
The state law allows public access to government records, and The Tribune argued that both the city and Bausch violated that law by either not producing the records or not providing them within a reasonable timeframe, according to the writ of mandate submitted on March 10.
Consisting of 171 pages, the suit states that The Tribune filed 19 Public Records Act (PRA) requests with the city between 2024 and early 2025, including for email communications between former City Manager Ty Lewis and Bausch and an audio recording that Bausch allegedly had on his private phone.
The requests stem from a conflict between Bausch and Lewis, who submitted a $2.2 million claim to the city last August accusing Bausch of creating a toxic workplace. In multiple stories since last August, The Tribune has attempted to uncover what really happened between the two officials.
But the city and Bausch made this pursuit difficult, The Tribune‘s legal document says. The city claimed Bausch failed to turn over requested records, while Bausch accused the city of not instructing him appropriately.
Eventually, Bausch turned over the audio recording, but the city has yet to fill three other requests for email communications allegedly on Bausch’s personal electronics, the suit states. According to The Tribune‘s March 11 article announcing its legal action, the city closed a fourth PRA request despite Bausch not turning over any items.
“Failure to adequately search for and fully produce all documents and/or information responsive to The Tribune‘s [PRA] request violated the [PRA] and the California Constitution,” the lawsuit states.
Tribune Attorney Karl Olsen told New Times that newspaper decided to sue both the city and Bausch because they were both at fault for shortcomings.
“The bottom line is that [Bausch] eventually turned over the tape, but he’s resisted turning over other records, and the city has, in our view, not done an adequate search,” he said. “Even if you put Bausch aside, that certainly raises questions about the extent of the city’s search. So, we think that both the city and Bausch have violated the Public Records Act, and that’s why we’re naming both.”
First and foremost, they hope the lawsuit yields the documents, Olsen said. But secondly, they hope this will inspire Paso Robles to adopt a stronger policy on “copy or use,” Olsen said.
Olsen referenced a lawsuit from 2017, City of San Jose v. The Superior Court of Santa Clara County, which established that if public business was conducted privately, those records are still considered public. Olsen said if Paso were to enforce stricter rules, it could more adequately produce records and meet the law in situations like this.
“We take this very seriously, and it’s a matter of intense public interest,” Olsen said. “[Public officials] seem to like to do public business on their so-called private electronic devices, and they resist turning it over. And you know, the public has the right to know how public business is done. That’s true in Washington, D.C., and it’s certainly true in California.”
Paso Robles City Attorney Elizabeth Hull told New Times via email that the city is aware of the lawsuit and “the city has made every effort to respond to all Public Records Act requests by The Tribune,” she said. “The city will review the complaint and will respond appropriately.”
Bausch did not respond to a request for comment. Δ
This article appears in Mar 13-23, 2025.