Please note the time change of San Rafael Regular City Council Meetings to commence at 6:00 p.m. 

  1. Digital Service & Open Government
  2. Civic Engagement
  3. Website Privacy and Posting Guidelines

Website Privacy and Posting Guidelines

Legal & Privacy Information

Legal Notices

Access to and use of the City of San Rafael Web site is provided subject to these terms and conditions. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY AS USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Disclaimer of Liability

Neither the City of San Rafael, nor any of its agencies nor any of its employees shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone's use of the information. In no event shall the City or its employees be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, procurement or substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence or otherwise) arising in any way out of the use of this system, even if advised of the possibility of such damage. This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury, including but not limited to those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of record, whether for breach of contract, tortuous behavior, negligence or under any other cause of action.

Disclaimer of Warranties and Accuracy of Data

Although the data found using the City of San Rafael's systems have been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty, expressed or implied, is made regarding accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of the information. The City provides this information on an "as is" basis. All warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, freedom from contamination by computer viruses and non-infringement of proprietary rights are disclaimed. Changes may be periodically made to the information herein; these changes may or may not be incorporated in any new version of the publication. If you have obtained information from any of the City’s web pages from a source other than the City pages, be aware that electronic data can be altered subsequent to original distribution. Data can also quickly become out of date. It is recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of any data associated with a file, and that the originator of the data or information be contacted with any questions regarding appropriate use. If you find any errors or omissions, we encourage you to report them to the responsible department (by using the contact form on the right side of the applicable page) or to contact our Webmaster by using this online form.

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The City of San Rafael may be a distributor of content sometimes supplied by third parties and users. Any opinions, advice, Statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of the City of San Rafael and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the City.

Disclaimer for External Links

The City’s official web site contains links to other, external web sites. In establishing and maintaining its official web site, the City does not intend in any manner to create a forum or other means by which public discourse, exchange of opinions, or discussion on issues of any nature may occur. Rather, the sole and limited purpose of the City's web site and permitted external links is to provide information about the City and the surrounding community for use by residents, businesses and visitors. The City does not endorse or provide preferential treatment to any third party web sites or associated organizations or persons. Since the City does not control third party web sites, it does not warrant that third party web sites are accurate or reliable or that they have operational links. The user acknowledges and agrees that the City of San Rafael is not liable in any way for the content, accuracy, reliability, viewpoints, policies, or products provided by these external resources. Once a web site visitor leaves the City’s web site and links to an external site, the City of San Rafael policies no longer apply and the visitor will be subject to the new site's policies.The City of San Rafael is not responsible for the contents of any off-site pages referenced. The user specifically acknowledges that the City is not liable for the defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of other users, links, or third parties and that the risk of injury from the foregoing rests entirely with the user. Links from the City of San Rafael's web pages on the World Wide Web to other sites do not constitute an endorsement from the City. These links are provided as an information service only. It is the responsibility of the web surfer to evaluate the content and usefulness of information obtained from other sites. The City’s Web Pages may contain links to other related World Wide Web Internet sites and resources. Since the City’s Web Pages are not responsible for the availability of these outside resources or their contents, you should direct any concerns regarding any external link to its site administrator or webmaster.

Disclaimer of Duty to Continue Provision of Data

Due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, resources that are free and publicly available one day may require a fee or restricted access the next, and the location of items may change as menus, homepages, and files are reorganized. The user expressly agrees that use of the City’s web site is at the user's sole risk. The City does not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error free. The documents and related graphics published on this server could contain technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein. The City and/or its respective agencies and programs may make improvements and/or changes in the information and/or programs described herein at any time.

Guidelines for User-Generated Content

The City of San Rafael encourages you to interact with us. Please be aware that information posted using social media sites may be recalled as a public record. Information posted using social media is stored only by system service providers.  The City’s policy is not to retain social media content.

Content posted to City of San Rafael websites, social media sites, or other web presences that contain any of the following will be removed:

  • Comments not topically related to the particular content being commented upon;
  • Comments advocating for or against candidates or ballot measures;
  • Profane language or content;
  • Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
  • Sexual content or links to sexual content;
  • Solicitations of commerce;
  • Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
  • Information that may compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; or
  • Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party

City of San Rafael Privacy Notice

City of San Rafael rules and regulations exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by City government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records provided by City, State and Federal laws. These exceptions include the privacy of individuals. Information collected at this site becomes public record and may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exception in law exists.

During your visit to cityofsanrafael.org, information that is not readily identifiable to an individual may be automatically collected and stored. This information would be used solely to improve our web services. For more detail on our privacy policy, please see the expanded statement following.

Information That May Be Collected And How It May Be Used

If you do nothing during your visit to the City of San Rafael Web site but browse or download information, we may automatically collect and store the following information about your visit:

  1. The Internet Protocol (IP) address and domain name used but not the email address. The Internet Protocol address is a numerical identifier assigned either to your Internet service provider or directly to your computer. We use the Internet Protocol Address to direct Internet traffic to you;
  2. The type of browser and operating system you used and your connection speed;
  3. The date and time you visited this site;
  4. The web pages or services you accessed at this site; and
  5. The web site you visited prior to coming to this web site.

The information we may automatically collect or store would be used to improve the content of our web services and to help us understand how people are using our services. The City of San Rafael analyzes our web site logs to continually improve the value of the materials available on our site. Our web site logs are not personally identifiable, and we make no attempt to link them with the individuals that browse the City of San Rafael Web site.

If during your visit to cityofsanrafael.org you participate in a survey, fill in and send an online form, or send an email, the following additional information will be collected:

  1. E-mail correspondence: The e-mail address and contents of the e-mail;
  2. Forms and Surveys: Any information you volunteered in response to the form or survey.

The information collected may not be limited to text characters and may include audio, video, and graphic information formats you send us. The information is retained in accordance with the City of San Rafael rules and regulations.

We may use your email to respond appropriately. This may be to respond to you, to address issues you identify, to further improve our web site, or to forward the email to another agency for appropriate action. Form and Survey information would be used for the purpose designated.

Personal Information and Choice

"Personal information" is information about an individual that is readily identifiable to that specific individual. Personal information includes personal identifiers such as an individual's name, address, and phone number. A domain name or Internet Protocol address is not considered personal information.

We will not collect personal information about you unless you voluntarily participate in an activity that asks for information (i.e. sending an e-mail, filling in and sending a form, or participating in a survey). If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use any other feature of the City's Web site.

If personal information is requested on the web site or volunteered by the user, City rules and regulations, the State's Information Practices Act of 1977 or the Federal Privacy Act of 1974 may protect it. However, this information is a public record once you provide it, and may be subject to public inspection and copying if not protected by above-mentioned legal references.

Users are cautioned that the collection of personal information requested from or volunteered by children on-line or by email will be treated the same as information given by an adult and may be subject to public access.

Public Disclosure

In the City of San Rafael, rules and regulations exist to ensure that government is open and that the public has a right to access appropriate records and information possessed by City government. At the same time, there are exceptions to the public's right to access public records that serve various needs: the privacy of individuals is included among these exceptions. Exceptions are provided by City, State and Federal laws.

We strive to protect personally identifiable information by collecting only information necessary to deliver our services. All information that may be collected at this site becomes public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption in law exists.

Access and Correction of Personal Information

You can review any personal information we collect about you. You may recommend changes to your personal information you believe in error by submitting a written request that credibly shows the error. If you believe that your personal information is being used for a purpose other than what was intended when submitted, you may contact us. In all cases, we will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections. See the Contact Information section, below.

Security

The City has taken several steps to safeguard the integrity of its telecommunications and computing infrastructure. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day practices of the entire operating environment as part of its continuing commitment to risk management.

This information should not be construed in any way as giving business, legal, or other advice. This information should not be construed as warranting as fail-proof the security of information provided through City supported web sites.

Disclaimer

The City of San Rafael has links to other web sites. These may include links to web sites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations and private businesses. When you link to another site, you are no longer on cityofsanrafael.org and this Privacy Notice will not apply. When you link to another web site, you are subject to the privacy and other policies of that new site.

Acceptable Use Policy

Access to and use of the City Web site is provided subject to these terms and conditions. PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY AS USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS.

Choice of Law

Construction of the disclaimers above and resolution of disputes thereof are governed by the rules and regulations of the City of San Rafael and shall apply to all uses of this data and this system. By use of this system and any data contained therein, the user agrees that use shall conform to all applicable laws and regulations and user shall not violate the rights of any third parties.

Copyright

This material is for the noncommercial use of the general public. The Fair Use guidelines of the U.S. copyright statutes apply to all material on the City of San Rafael web site and linked agency Web pages. The City of San Rafael shall remain the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title and interest in and to all specifically copyrighted information created and posted for inclusion in this system. Photographs and graphics on the City web site are the property of the City of San Rafael, unless specifically stated otherwise. For copy or use of information on the City of San Rafael website that is outside of the Fair Use provisions of copyright law, or if you have any questions on using material on the City of San Rafael web pages, please email the webmaster. If permission to reproduce or redistribute is granted, the following statement shall be included on all reproduced information: "Reproduced with permission from the City of San Rafael, California."

City of San Rafael Request for Service Mobile App and SeeClickFix:

City of San Rafael is using SeeClickFix, an online and mobile service request system, to power its mobile app and reporting forms. SeeClickFix is an application that allows San Rafael residents and visitors to report non-emergency related issues to the City. SeeClickFix can be used via the Web on a desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet. SeeClickFix is a public application. The description entered will be visible to the public. Your display name will also be visible unless you choose to submit as Anonymous. Your email address will never be displayed publicly.

City of San Rafael Contact Information

To contact the City of San Rafael about about Legal, Privacy, or other information, please contact us at:

U.S. Mail: 1400 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: 415-485-3355
Fax: 415-459-3334
TTY: 415-485-3198
e-mail: online contact form

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