Disclaimer / Help File
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Council File Management System Help
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- What is the Council File Management System?
- How do I Search for Council Files?
- How do I View and Print the Detail of a Council File?
- How do I Print the List of Council Files That are Displayed in the Search Results List?
- How do I Copy and Paste Portions of the Detail of a Council File?
- How do I View and Print the On-Line Documents in a Council File?
- How do I Receive Automatic Notifications When There is Activity on a Council File?
- How do I See How the City Council Voted on a Council File?
- How do I See Which Council Files are Currently Pending (active) in a Council Committee?
The Council File Management System(CFMS) is your on-line access to a comprehensive file index and management system, with summary and detail of all legislation considered and/or acted upon by the Los Angeles City Council. The electronic CFMS contains all records of legislation, commendatory resolutions, results of City Council votes, and scanned documents and reports filed in the City Council's files.
You can perform simple or advanced searches for Council Files, view file activity, generate
and print reports, and subscribe to a Council file to receive RSS feeds or E-mail notifications whenever there is activity related to a Council File.
The CFMS contains Council files dating back to the year 1979. Council files from 1940 to 1979 can be access online via Council Idexes. The City Archives (Office of the City Clerk Records Management Center) stores the handwritten and typed Council Files dating from 1850 to 1979 and can be accessed through a written request to the City Clerk.
Important Search note: Search results are sorted by "relevance ranking". Rather than a single text index the search tool uses multiple indexes and combines them into a master index. It also uses synonym or word-like search functionality, for example, when searching for the word "car" the index may return documents with words such as automobile or vehicle, etc.
Important Search note: Search results are sorted by "relevance ranking". Rather than a single text index the search tool uses multiple indexes and combines them into a master index. It also uses synonym or word-like search functionality, for example, when searching for the word "car" the index may return documents with words such as automobile or vehicle, etc.
You are automatically brought to the Council File Management System(CFMS) search screen when accessing the CFMS. There are two types of searches that you can perform:
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Simple Search is a basic search against all Council file content. Click on the
next to the Simple Search menu bar to expand and access the search criteria options. Click on the 
next to the Simple Search criteria options for additional instructions and help on how to use this feature.
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Advanced Search displays all fields and content that you can search against. Click on the next to the Advanced Search menu bar to expand and access the search criteria options. Click on the next to each of the Advanced Search options for additional instructions and help on how to use each of the search options. When entering or selecting more than one search option within the Advance Search, it is treated as an "AND" condition. Only Council files that match all of the criteria specified in your search will be returned in your search results.
Important Search note: Only the first 500 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
You can click on the RESET button to clear all of your search criteria and selections.
All content of a Council file, including the on-line scanned documents in a Council file can be viewed and printed. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line documents.
You are automatically brought to the Council File Management System(CFMS) search screen when accessing the CFMS. There are two types of searches that you can perform:
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From the Search Criteria screen, enter your Simple Search or Advanced Search criteria. Click on the SEARCH Button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in Last Change Date order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
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Click on the Council file number from the Search Results listing to view the detail Council file information and its associated on-line scanned documents.
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Click on the
to generate an Adobe PDF document 
of the Council file record. A hyperlink to the Council file in the CFMS will be included in the generated PDF file. From within Adobe Reader, you can view, save, print, and email the document. You can also copy text from the PDF document and paste it into your own document or reporting software. Refer to your Adobe Reader on-line help for assistance with using the features of Adobe Reader. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line Council files.
Summary and Detail Summary reports of your search results can be printed. The reports will generate an Adobe PDF file with hyperlinks to the on-line Council file. There is also a report that will generate an Excel spreadsheet which you can then save as a file. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the reports.
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Step 1 - From the "Search Criteria" screen, enter your Simple Search or Advanced Search criteria. Click on the SEARCH button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in Council file number order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
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Step 2 - Click on the Report selection dropdown box and select a report from the list.
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Step 3 - Click on the Create Report button to generate the PDF document or Excel spreadsheet.From within Adobe Reader, you can view, save, print, and email the report. You can also copy text from the PDF report and paste it into your own document or reporting software. Refer to your Adobe Reader on-line help for assistance with using the features of Adobe Reader.
All on-line documents in a Council file, can be viewed and printed. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line documents.
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From the Search Criteria screen, enter your Simple Search or Advanced Search criteria. Click on the SEARCH Button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in Council file number order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
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Click on the Council file number from the Search Results listing to view the detailed Council file information and its associated on-line scanned documents. Once the detail of the Council file is displayed, a list of the associated on-line documents will also be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen.
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Method 1: Click on the Title of the on-line document that you want to read or print from the list of on-line documents.From within Adobe Reader, you can view, save, print, and email the document. You can also copy text from the PDF document and paste it into your own document or reporting software. Refer to your Adobe Reader on-line help for assistance with using the features of Adobe Reader.Method 2: as of August 11, 2008, any new file activity that is added will also be linked to its associated on-line document. If an on-line document is associated with a file activity, click on the next to the file activity item listed under the File Activities section of the Council file detail to view and print the document in Adobe Reader. These documents will also be listed in the on-line documents listing on the upper right of the screen. Use the method that you prefer.
There are multiple methods using the Windows Copy/Paste feature to copy content in the Council File Management System. The purpose of this Help is not to teach how to use the Windows Copy/Paste features, but will give you some pointers when copying content from the system. It assumes you are already familiar with how to use Windows Copy (CTRL+C) and Windows Paste (CTRL+V). Refer to your Windows or operating system Help to learn more about Copy and Paste.
Depending on what your needs are, you can try some of these methods - these are not the only methods, so experiment and find what works best for you:
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The recommended and cleanest method is to select the PRINTER Icon button from within the Council file detail information screen. An Adobe PDF document will be generated, and from within your Adobe Reader, you can select and copy text, and then paste it into whatever document or spreadsheet or e-mail that you are composing. You can also save the PDF document and attach it to your e-mails, possibly eliminating the need to do any copying or pasting.
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Another method to copy content from the Council File detail information screen is by clicking on the Upper left position in front of the Council file number, then use the scrollbar to scroll to the bottom of the activities. Move your cursor to the end of the last text line in the File Activities section and do a SHIFT+CLICK. Everything will be selected from the Council file number to the end of the file activities. In Windows, you can use CTRL+C or right-click and select "Copy" from the dropdown list. It will paste cleanly into a Word document and will look just like it looks on the screen (colors, format etc.) Note: The position of the cursor when using SHIFT+CLICK is important, if you have the cursor slightly beyond the file activities section, then the On-Line Council files documents list and the Council votes lists will also be selected.If you only want to copy a small portion of the Council file detail, for example, the File Activities from the Council file, you can click at the beginning of the Council file history or activities section, and while holding down your mouse button, scroll down the screen to hi-lite the content that you wish to copy, then release the mouse button. Use CTRL+C or Right Click and select "Copy" to copy your selection.LACityClerk Connect keeps you plugged into Los Angeles City Hall! You can subscribe to automatic RSS Feeds or E-Mail notifications. Your RSS Feed or E-Mail notification will not only notify you of an update to the Council file, but also describe the type of update. A hyperlink will be included in your notification so that you can simply click on the link and go directly to that Council file record in the Council File Management System (CFMS). It can't get much easier than that! To learn more about RSS Feeds, search for "What is an RSS Feed" using your favorite internet search tool (ie., Google). There are many websites that define and provide detailed information.
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From the Search Criteria screen, enter your Simple Search or Advanced Search criteria. Click on the SEARCH button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in Council file number order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
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Click on the Council file number from the Search Results listing to view the detailed Council file information and its associated on-line scanned documents.
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Method 1: To Subscribe to RSS Feeds, click on the
to generate an RSS Feed. Use your Internet Browser software or favorite RSS Feed reader to read your RSS Feeds. For assistance with RSS Feeds and how to use them, please refer to the HELP from within your Internet Browser software or RSS Reader software.
RSS Feed note: RSS Feeds are sent out in real-time. So when the update to the Council file is made, you will receive notification within minutes of the update.Method 2: To Subscribe to e-Mail notifications, click on the
to begin receiving daily e-mails from LACityClerk Connect summarizing any new activity or updates to Council files to which you have subscribed. You will be prompted to enter your e-mail address and to confirm your subscription. Just follow the instructions and prompts.
E-Mail Notification note: E-Mail notifications are sent out once every 24 hours, at night, after the close of the business day and prior to the beginning of the next business morning. You will receive one e-mail containing all updates for any Council files to which you have subscribed. A link to unsubscribe to any of your Council file subscriptions or to view your subscriptions list will be included in your e-mail notification.
You can view City Council votes through the City Clerk's Council File Management System (CFMS).-
From the Search Criteria screen, enter your Simple Search or Advanced Search criteria. Click on the SEARCH button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in Council file number order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 Council files that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the Advanced Search option and include search criteria to narrow your search.
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Click on the Council file number from the Search Results listing to view the detail Council file information and its associated on-line scanned documents and votes. The Council vote information will appear in the lower right side of the screen.Use the double arrows to scroll forward or backward through the votes. The number of times that this Council file number was voted on by the City Council is displayed next to the Council Vote Information title.
Use the Advanced Search to display all fields and content that you can search against. Click on the PENDING in COMMITTEE search box and select a Council Committee from the DropDown list. Pending (Active) Council Committee files are those which have been referred to one or more Council Committees, but which have not yet cleared all committees.This website is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.x/8.x with Compatibility View enabled or Mozilla Firefox 2.x browser in 1024 x 768 resolutionThe Contract Search System, formerly part of the Council File Index (CFI) system, is your on-line access to all contracts that are submitted to the City Clerk's office including contract summary information, action history as well as scanned contracts.You can perform searches for contracts by contract number or contracts beginning with a specific sequence of numbers. If you don't know the contract number you can also perform a search by keyword or phrase, which will display any records that contain the word or phrase you are searching for.Please note that although the contract system does include scanned contracts, the contracts themselves are not searchable in this system.To begin searching for contracts click on the tab labeled Contracts at the top of the page. There are two types of searches that you can perform:-
Search Contract No. is a quick search that allows you to find a specific contract or contracts beginning with a specific sequence of numbers. Click on the next to the search box for additional instructions and help on how to use this feature.
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Search Summary Information is a "fuzzy" search that allows you to find all contracts that contain a specific word or phrase. This search is useful when you do not know the contract number you are searching for but know some specific information about the contract such as a topic or name. Click on the next to the search box for additional instructions and help on how to use this feature.
Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 contracts that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use the most unique information you have about the contract you are looking for to narrow your search results.The summary information of a contract, including the scanned contract, can be viewed and printed. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line documents.
To begin searching for contracts click on the tab labeled Contracts at the top of the page.-
From the Search Criteria screen, enter your contract number or summary information criteria. Click on the SEARCH Button or press ENTER to conduct the search. The list of contracts that match your search criteria will be displayed in Last Changed Date order on the right side of your screen.Important Search note: Only the first 1,000 contracts that match your search criteria will be displayed in the search results listing. Use more unique search criteria to narrow your search.
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Click on the contract number from the Search Results listing to view the contract summary information and any scanned contracts.
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Click on the to generate an Adobe PDF document of the contract record. A hyperlink to the contract record will be included in the generated PDF file. From within Adobe Reader, you can view, save, print, and email the document. You can also copy text from the PDF document and paste it into your own document or reporting software. Refer to your Adobe Reader on-line help for assistance with using the features of Adobe Reader. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line contracts.
There are multiple methods using the Windows Copy/Paste feature to copy content in the Contract Summary. The purpose of this Help is not to teach how to use the Windows Copy/Paste features, but will give you some pointers when copying content from the system. It assumes you are already familiar with how to use Windows Copy (CTRL+C) and Windows Paste (CTRL+V). Refer to your Windows or operating system Help to learn more about Copy and Paste.Depending on what your needs are, you can try some of these methods - these are not the only methods, so experiment and find what works best for you:-
The recommended and cleanest method is to select the PRINTER Icon button from within the Contract Summary information screen. An Adobe PDF document will be generated, and from within your Adobe Reader, you can select and copy text, and then paste it into whatever document or spreadsheet or e-mail that you are composing. You can also save the PDF document and attach it to your e-mails, possibly eliminating the need to do any copying or pasting.
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Another method to copy content from the Contract Summary information screen is by clicking on the Upper left position in front of the Contract number, then use the scrollbar to scroll to the bottom of the activities. Move your cursor to the end of the last text line in the Action History section and do a SHIFT+CLICK. Everything will be selected from the Contract number to the end of the Action History. In Windows, you can use CTRL+C or right-click and select "Copy" from the dropdown list. It will paste cleanly into a Word document and will look just like it looks on the screen (colors, format etc.)
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If you only want to copy a small portion of the Contract Summary, for example, the Action History, you can click at the beginning of the Action History section, and while holding down your mouse button, scroll down the screen to hi-lite the content that you wish to copy, then release the mouse button. Use CTRL+C or Right Click and select "Copy" to copy your selection.
All scanned contracts, can be viewed and printed. You must have Adobe Reader to view and print the on-line documents.
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Click on the Title of the scanned contract that you want to read or print from the list of documents.From within Adobe Reader, you can view, save, print, and email the document. You can also copy text from the PDF document and paste it into your own document or reporting software. Refer to your Adobe Reader on-line help for assistance with using the features of Adobe Reader.
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