The City honors both the federal Freedom of Information Act and California’s Public Records Act. The Public Records Act requires that the City respond to a request for public records within 10 calendar days. You can make a public records request by:

• Filling out a Public Records Request form electronically, and e-mailing it to the City Clerk Department (ccd@cityofwhittier.org).
• Mailing a completed Public Records Request form to:

City Clerk Department
13230 Penn Street
Whittier, CA 90602

• Calling the City Clerk Department at (562) 567-9850.

Copies of many city documents cost 15¢ a page. Copies made from microfilm are 20¢. Arrangements can be made to obtain copies of photographs, DVDs or CDs.

The City Clerk Department’s Records Management Division can help you discover the history of Whittier’s governmental policies and decisions. The Department maintains the City Council Minutes (the record of the Council’s decisions), Ordinances (the City’s laws), and Resolutions (Council’s decisions to act) from 1898 to present. Minutes from 2012 to present are available from the Online Document Archive. The agenda reports that assist the City Council in its decision process are part of the permanent collection of the City’s Archives. Agenda reports from 1939 to present as well as minutes and ordinances can be researched by making an appointment with Records Management. Records Management is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. To make an appointment to view records call (562) 567-9850. Records Management is actively converting it permanent documents form paper to digital files which will be available online in the near future.

City Council meetings are broadcast live over cable TV on Channel 3 on Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is replayed on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. Meeting videos can be viewed on the City's website in the Agendas and Minutes Online.

While the County of Los Angeles Registrar/Recorder’s Office (562) 462-2137, maintains all birth, marriage and death records, the City’s Records Management Division and the Library's Local History Room can help you to research your family’s history. The City has three types of documents that can help you research your family's history – cemetery records, Assessor’s Parcel Rolls, and City Directories.

Cemetery Records

The City’s cemeteries were developed as a passive park in the 1960s. The records of burials is maintained at City Hall. The burial list include name of the deceased, date of death, and burial location at the Broadway or Mt. Olive Cemeteries. The City has shared the burial list with the Whittier Historical Society, which has made the list available online.

Assessor’s Parcel Rolls

The City has Assessor’s Parcel Rolls from 1898 through 1951. These records provide information about owners and valuations of property. The Parcel Rolls are housed in the Local History Room at the Whittier Public Library. The County Recorder’s Office, 12400 Imperial Blvd, Norwalk, has assessor information from 1951 to present.

City Directories

The Records Management Division has City Directories from 1909 through 1977. These directories are similar to telephone books. The listing can include occupation and names of family. City directories are also available at the Local History Room of the Whittier Public Library and at the Whittier Historical Society Museum.

These records are available for public review through the Records Management Division. The Whittier Historical Society Museum and the Whittier Public Library - Local History Room can also help you in your research.

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