by Pete Denk

The California Horse Racing Board paid horse owner and breeder Jerry Jamgotchian $17,900 to settle a public records lawsuit on October 1.

Jamgotchian submitted a public records request last May asking for letters between California state senators or their staff members and CHRB Executive Director Ingrid Fermin, Chairman Richard Shapiro, and Assistant Executive Director Bon Smith.

Jamgotchian’s request came after the California State Senate Governmental Operations Committee zeroed out the CHRB’s budget for 2007-’08. The budget impasse, which was related to race dates at Bay Meadows Race Course, was later solved.

CHRB officials initially denied the existence of any correspondences, and Jamgotchian filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court on June 12.

Following Jamgotchian’s filing, the CHRB produced 25 pages of e-mails, and Jamgotchian said additional e-mails were referenced but never supplied to him.

Jamgotchian won a similar victory in October 2006, when the CHRB was ordered to pay him $18,375 in attorney’s fees and court costs for another public records violation.

Pete Denk is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer