(a) Every employee of a state university or college shall have the right to access to all reports, documents, correspondence, and other material which pertain to the employee which are kept by the university or college. Each employee shall also have the right to have another person of the employee’s choosing accompany the employee to inspect the employee’s records.

(b) Upon written request, the employee shall, within 10 calendar days of the request, be provided an exact copy of all or any portion the employee desires of any of the items specified in subdivision (a). The employee shall bear the cost of duplicating such items.

(c) If, after examination of the records pertaining to the employee, an employee believes that any portion of the material is not accurate, relevant, timely, or complete, the employee may request in writing correction of the record or deletion of the offending portion, or both. Such request shall include a written statement by the employee as to the corrections and deletions that the employee believes need to be made and the reasons therefor. This statement shall become part of the employee’s personnel file.

(d) Within 21 calendar days of the request for correction of the record or deletion of the portion of the record objected to, or both, the president of the state university or college shall either accede to the employee’s request or notify the employee in writing of the president’s refusal to grant the request. If the president refuses to grant the request, the president shall state the reasons for the refusal in writing, and the written statement shall become part of the employee’s personnel file.

(e) The remedies authorized by this section shall be in addition to any other remedy provided by law.

(f) Personnel recommendations or decisions relating to the promotion, retention, termination, or any other personnel action shall be based primarily on material contained in the employee’s personnel file and open to the employee’s inspection. If a personnel recommendation or decision is based on any reasons not contained in the employee’s personnel file, the party making the recommendation or decision shall commit those reasons to writing, and the written statement of those reasons shall become part of the employee’s personnel file.

(g) Preemployment materials shall be excluded from the requirements of this section, except as they may be considered in subsequent personnel actions.

(h) If the provisions of this section are in conflict with the provisions of a memorandum of understanding reached pursuant to Chapter 12 (commencing with Section 3560) of Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, the memorandum of understanding shall be controlling without further legislative action, except that if such provisions of a memorandum of understanding require the expenditure of funds, the provisions shall not become effective unless approved by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act.

(Amended by Stats. 1979, Ch. 1072.)