CalEPA Website Privacy Policy

Effective March 14, 2024

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) recognizes the importance of safeguarding the privacy of an individual’s personal information. This policy describes CalEPA’s privacy practices regarding information collected and managed by CalEPA. This policy describes what information is collected and how that information is used. 

CalEPA is committed to protecting the privacy rights of individuals, as enumerated in Article 1 of the California Constitution, the Information Practices Act of 1977, and other state and federal laws. It is CalEPA’s policy to limit the collection and safeguard the privacy of personal information submitted to, collected by, or maintained by CalEPA. CalEPA’s information management practices conform to the requirements of the Information Practices Act (Civil Code section 1798 et seq.), the California Public Records Act (Government Code section 7920.000 et seq.), Government Code sections 11015.5 and 11019.9, and other applicable laws pertaining to information privacy.  

Collection of Personal Information 

CalEPA adheres to the following principles in connection with the collection and management of any personal information obtained by CalEPA: 

  1. CalEPA collects personal information on individuals only as allowed by law. Personal information, as defined in the Information Practices Act, is information that identifies or describes an individual including, but not limited to, name, Social Security Number, physical description, home address, home telephone number, education, financial matters, and medical or employment history.  
  2. CalEPA will advise individuals who provide personal information to CalEPA the purpose for which the information is collected. CalEPA maintains information practices that encompass the requirements of the Information Practices Act of 1977 , the California Public Records Act, Government Code sections 11015.5 and 11019.9, and other applicable laws pertaining to information privacy. CalEPA will communicate the purpose for which the information will be used at or prior to the time of collection in a privacy notice included on or with the form used to collect personal information. With each request for personal information, CalEPA provides information on the authority under which the request is made, the principal uses CalEPA intends to make of the information, and the possible disclosures CalEPA is obligated to make to other government agencies and the public.  
  3. No personal information will be disclosed, made available, or otherwise used for the purposes other than those specified without consent, unless authorized by law or regulation.  
  4. CalEPA takes reasonable precautions to protect the personal information collected or maintained by CalEPA against loss, unauthorized access, illegal use, modification, or disclosure. CalEPA uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption software to protect the security of individuals’ personal information during transmission of such information through CalEPA’s website. CalEPA’s staff is trained on the procedures for the management of personal information, including the limitations to the release of information.  
  5. CalEPA collects personal information about individuals through our website if an individual provides such information to CalEPA voluntarily through our online services, such as sending an email or submitting forms or surveys. We may use your personal information to contact you with information that may be of concern to you. You may opt out of receiving any, or all, of the communications from us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in the email we send or by contacting CalEPA’s Risk and Privacy Officer at the contact information provided below.  

Automatically Collected Electronic Information 

  • CalEPA collects personal information from you when you browse CalEPA’s website. Information about your visit to the website is automatically collected to help CalEPA analyze and improve content of the website. The information that CalEPA may collect includes the internet protocol (IP) address of the machine used to access our website, the type of browser and operating system used, the date and time when the site is visited, web pages displayed, and any forms that are downloaded.  CalEPA does not use cookies to collect or store personal information. You can prevent cookies from being placed on your computer by accessing your browser’s preferences menu and delete existing cookies. There are also commercial programs available to help manage cookies.  
  • You have the right to have any electronically collected personal information deleted by CalEPA without reuse or distribution. You may request to have your electronically collected personal information deleted by contacting CalEPA’s Risk and Privacy Officer at privacy@calepa.ca.gov. 
  • CalEPA will not distribute or sell any electronically collected personal information about you to any third party without your consent. 
  • Automatically collected electronic personal information is exempt from request made under the California Public Records Act.  

Your Access Rights 

You have the right to access any of your personal information maintained by CalEPA and to request correction of any inaccuracies in the information. Additionally, you have the right to request deletion of any of your electronically collected personal information maintained by CalEPA without additional use or distribution. To request your personal information maintained by CalEPA, to request corrections, or to request deletion of electronically collected personal information, please refer to the contact information below:  

California Environmental Protection Agency  
Information Security and Privacy Office – MS 24C 
Attn: CalEPA Risk and Privacy Officer 
1001 I Street 
Sacramento, CA  95814 
(916) 323-2514 
privacy@calepa.ca.gov 

If you have any questions regarding CalEPA’s Privacy Policy, please contact CalEPA Risk and Privacy Officer at privacy@calepa.ca.gov 

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