Article 5. Books, Maps, And Other Documents of California Government Code >> Division 1. >> Title 5. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 5.

The legislative body, and each office, officer, or employee of a local agency shall furnish the clerk three copies of each printed, mimeographed, or processed book, pamphlet, report, bulletin, or other publication issued by them at the expense of the local agency. The clerk shall send one copy of each publication to the State Library at Sacramento, the Institute of Governmental Studies of the University of California at Berkeley, and the Public Affairs Service of the University of California at Los Angeles, to be preserved for reference use in those institutions.

When a book, document, map, or record required to be kept by an officer of a local agency is damaged by conflagration or other public calamity, the legislative body may cause the book, document, map, or record to be copied into a new and well-bound book.

When copied, the book, document, map, or record shall be carefully compared with the original. The persons comparing shall each make an affidavit which shall be incorporated into the book, document, map, or record as copied, that it and each part of it is a true copy of the original; that the matter of record which appears upon every page of the original appears also upon the same page of the copy; and that no matter of record appears upon any page of the copy which is not upon the same page of the original. The officer having custody of the book, document, map, or record shall certify upon the copy that it is a true copy of the original.

The certified copy is prima facie evidence of the contents of the original book, document, map, or record, and shall bear the name and designation of the original. Certified copies of any instrument in the copy have the same effect as certified copies from the original.

The legislative body may make reasonable provision to pay for copying the books, documents, maps, and records, not exceeding the amount authorized for copying and recording the originals, and such copying is a charge against the local agency.

Unless another provision of law requires a longer retention period, the clerk of the legislative body may destroy or otherwise dispose of any paper or document filed with or submitted to the legislative body more than one year previously, unless the legislative body determines that there is a need for its retention. In determining whether there is a need for retaining a paper or document, consideration shall be given to such factors as future public need, the effect of statutes of limitation, and historical significance.