By SNN Newsroom | October 15, 2026
SAN BRUNO, California — California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a federal lawsuit October 14 seeking to stop the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) from closing its San Francisco-area archives in San Bruno and dispersing historical records to other federal facilities.
The state’s announcement and federal complaint argue that the closure decision was arbitrary and did not adequately consider the impact on researchers, state agencies, Tribal communities and families who need physical access to records. The allegations have not been decided by a court. California is seeking an order to set aside the closure decision and block the transfer of holdings.
Why the location matters
According to the California Department of Justice, the San Bruno facility holds more than 75,000 cubic feet of records concerning Northern and Central California, Hawaii, most of Nevada, Guam and American Samoa. The collections include immigration, court and genealogical materials used for historical and governmental research. California argues that moving original documents to distant repositories may impose substantial travel and research costs.
The federal agency’s explanation
NARA’s published researcher updates give a different rationale. The agency says shrinking paper-record transfers, unused storage space and aging infrastructure have made continued operation of its San Bruno and Chicago facilities financially impractical. NARA says it will preserve researcher access to archival records after they move, though some record groups will be temporarily unavailable during transfers. Listed destination facilities include Riverside, Denver, College Park, Fort Worth and Kansas City.
NARA’s posted timetable estimated that NASA records at San Bruno would close to researchers on October 13 and reopen in Fort Worth on November 16. Those dates are agency estimates, not independently confirmed completion dates.
Where the lawsuit stands
This is a civil lawsuit seeking judicial review of an agency decision, not a ruling that NARA broke the law. The government has an opportunity to respond. SNN has not confirmed an injunction suspending the record transfers or a final judicial decision. The practical question remains whether continued federal custody elsewhere offers equivalent access to original records for the communities and agencies that use them.
Primary sources: California Attorney General, October 14, with linked complaint; National Archives’ closure rationale, destinations and researcher schedules.
