Cal. R. 8.123

As amended through March 15, 2024

Rule 8.123 - Record of administrative proceedings

(a) Application

This rule applies if the record of an administrative proceeding was admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged in the superior court.

(b) Designation

(1) An appellant's notice designating the record on appeal under rule 8.121 that requests a record of an administrative proceeding be transmitted to the reviewing court must identify the administrative record by the title and date or dates of the administrative proceedings.

(2) If an appellant does not request that an administrative record admitted in evidence, refused, or lodged in the superior court be transmitted to the reviewing court, the respondent, within 10 days after the appellant serves its notice designating the record on appeal, may serve and file in the superior court a notice requesting that this administrative record be transmitted to the reviewing court.

(c) Transmittal to the reviewing court

Except as provided in (d), if any administrative record is designated by a party, the superior court clerk must transmit the original administrative record, or electronic administrative record, with any clerk's or reporter's transcript sent to the reviewing court under rule 8.150. If the appellant has elected under rule 8.121 to use neither a clerk's transcript nor a reporter's transcript, the superior court clerk must transmit any administrative record designated by a party to the reviewing court no later than 45 days after the respondent files a designation under (b)(2) or the time for filing it expires, whichever first occurs.

(Subd (c) amended effective January 1, 2016; adopted as subd (d); previously amended and relettered as subd (c) effective January 1, 2013.)

(d) Administrative records returned to parties

(1) If the superior court has returned a designated administrative record to a party, the party in possession of the administrative record must make that record available to the other parties in the case for copying within 15 days after the notice designating the record on appeal is served and lodge the record with the clerk of the reviewing court at the time the last respondent's brief is due.

(2) A party seeking an administrative record that was returned to another party must first ask the possessing party to provide a copy or lend it for copying. The possessing party should reasonably cooperate with such requests.

(3) If the request under (2) is unsuccessful, the requesting party may serve and file in the reviewing court a notice identifying the administrative record and requesting that the possessing party deliver the administrative record to the requesting party or, if the possessing party prefers, to the reviewing court. The possessing party must comply with the request within 10 days after the notice was served.

(4) If the possessing party sends the administrative record to the requesting party, that party must copy and return it to the possessing party within 10 days after receiving it.

(5) If the possessing party sends the administrative record to the reviewing court, that party must:

(A) Include with the administrative record a copy of the notice served by the requesting party; and

(B) Immediately notify the requesting party that it has sent the administrative record to the reviewing court.

(Subd (d) amended and relettered effective January 1, 2013; adopted as subd (c).)

(e)Return by reviewing court

On request, the reviewing court may return an administrative record to the superior court or, if the record was lodged by a party under (d), to the lodging party. When the remittitur issues, the reviewing court must return any administrative record to the superior court or, if the record was lodged by a party under (d), to the lodging party.

(Subd (e) amended effective January 1, 2013.)

Cal. R. Ct. 8.123

Rule 8.123 amended effective 1/1/2016; adopted effective 1/1/2008; previously amended effective 1/1/2013.

Advisory Committee Comment

Subdivision (a). Subdivision (a)(1) allows a party designating documents for inclusion in the clerk's transcript to specify portions of such documents that are not to be included, e.g., because they are duplicates of other designated documents or are not necessary for proper consideration of the issues raised in the appeal. The notice of designation should identify any portion to be omitted by means of a descriptive reference, e.g., by specific page or exhibit numbers. This provision is intended to simplify and therefore expedite the preparation of the clerk's transcript, to reduce its cost to the parties, and to relieve the courts of the burden of reviewing a record containing redundant, irrelevant, or immaterial documents.

Subdivision (b). The supporting and opposing memoranda and attachments to any motion to vacate the judgment, for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or for reconsideration of an appealed order are not required to be included in the clerk's transcript under subdivision (b)(1)(D) but may be included by designation of a party under (b)(3) or on motion of a party or the reviewing court under rule 8.155.

Subdivision (b)(1)(F) requires the clerk's transcript to include the register of actions, if any. This provision is intended to assist the reviewing court in determining the accuracy of the clerk's transcript.

Subdivision (c). Under subdivision (c)(2), a clerk who sends a notice under subdivision (c)(1) must include a certificate stating the date on which the clerk sent it. This provision is intended to establish the date when the 10-day period for depositing the cost of the clerk's transcript under this rule begins to run.

The superior court will make the determination on any application to waive the fees for preparing, certifying, copying, and transmitting the clerk's transcript.

Subdivision (d). The different timelines for preparing a clerk's transcript under subdivision (d)(2)(A) and (B) recognize that an appellant may apply for and receive a waiver of fees at different points during the appellate process. Some appellants may have applied for and obtained an order waiving fees before receiving the estimate of the cost of the clerk's transcript and thus may be able to provide that order to the court in lieu of making a deposit for the clerk's transcript. Other appellants may not apply for a waiver until after they receive the estimate of the cost for the clerk's transcript, in which case the time for preparing the transcript runs from the granting of that waiver.

In cases in which a reporter's transcript has been designated, subdivision (d)(3) gives the clerk the option of waiting until the deposit for the reporter's transcript has been made before beginning preparation of the clerk's transcript.