Public Records Request – The Seattle Times

The Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) has received a public records request from the Seattle Times for certain information about members of the state’s retirement systems, including retirees and non-retirees, for a one-year time period.

The Seattle Times has been making this request annually for the past several years, and DRS provides this information to them as required under the Public Records Act.

The Seattle Times has signed a Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose, which means they will not sell the list or use it to try to sell anything to the people on the list. They have also provided a letter (below) describing why they want the information and what they will do with it.

Please note that the Seattle Times has not requested – and DRS will not provide – your home or work address, phone number, Social Security number, personnel number, member ID, or any of your banking information.

The Seattle Times is asking for this information regarding all participants of DRS-administered retirement plans from July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025:

This request only applies to people who are part of the DRS retirement system, so if you receive this notice but are not part of the DRS system, your information will not be included in the data that DRS provides to the Seattle Times. For more information about the request, please read the FAQs below or contact DRS Public Records at drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov or 844-704-6780. If you contact the DRS main line (800-547-6657), please ask to be transferred to Public Records.

If you want to prevent the release of your information, you need to get an injunction. If you believe that you qualify for an injunction, you or your attorney need to pursue it by bringing a motion to Superior Court. If the court finds that your situation meets the requirements of RCW 42.56.540 and grants the injunction, you need to send a copy to drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov by the end of the day on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. DRS will not get the injunction for you and cannot assist or provide advice regarding obtaining an injunction.

FAQs

What does the data look like when DRS sends it to the Seattle Times?

These examples show what the data looks like, with line 2 representing someone who is retired and line 3 representing someone who is still working:

Why is DRS providing my birth date?

The Public Records Act allows agencies to withhold birth dates in response to requests from non-media requestors, but under RCW 42.56.250(1)(i)(iv), traditional media organizations have the right to obtain birth dates. This is why DRS is providing this information to the Seattle Times.

What will the Seattle Times do with this information?

The Public Records Act allows agencies to have requestors complete a Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose, and the Seattle Times has completed this form. Beyond that, the law doesn’t allow agencies to ask further questions about what requestors will do with the information.

Even though they are not legally required to provide an explanation, the Seattle Times gave DRS a letter (below) describing how they use the information. If you have additional questions about what the Seattle Times will do with this information, you need to reach out to them directly. The name and contact information is on the letter below and on the Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose.

May I see a copy of the Seattle Times’ request and explanation letter?

Here is the request:

The Seattle Times is requesting a data extract from the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) on all participants of DRS administered retirement systems. We have received these data multiple times in the past and would like an updated version.

The database should include retirees and members during the actuary valuation period 07/01/2024 to 06/30/2025.

The data should include all participants who either received a retirement benefit or were members during the valuation period. We’d like the monthly benefit amount for retirees and the annual compensation amount for members. Also, please include members with contributions that have not been withdrawn from the retirement system and were not active during the period.

We are aware it is DRS policy to notify about this request all individuals whose information is included in the database. To avoid causing unnecessary concern among them, I would deeply appreciate if you could include the attached explanation letter in your communications to all individuals.

Thank you very much in advance, and please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Manuel Villa

Here is the letter of explanation:

Hello,

My name is Manuel Villa and I’m a journalist for the Seattle Times.

You are receiving this notice because we have requested an extract of the Department of Retirement Services database about employees covered by state pension plans. I wanted to take a moment to explain to you why we are requesting the data.

As the region’s largest newspaper, this information has for years been one of the Times’s main tools to hold our government accountable. In the past, we have used it to report on unjustified and exorbitant payouts at the cost of taxpayers, or to find individuals in public office who had serious criminal records.

We only request information that is public record under Washington state law. The Seattle Times signs an agreement with the DRS that limits what we can do with the information.

We do not use this information for commercial purposes, nor do we share or sell it to third parties. We do not publish personal information, such as dates of birth.

We wanted to let you know this because we understand that public employees may have concerns about this request. If you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them.

Sincerely,

Manuel Villa
Data Reporter | The Seattle Times
mvilla@seattletimes.com
(206) 464-2262

In addition, after submitting the request, the Seattle Times told DRS the data elements that they are requesting (above) and provided a signed Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose.

How can it be legal for DRS to provide this information to the Seattle Times in light of the state’s data privacy protections?

State law does contain strong privacy protections for certain types of information. At the same time, though, it also contains strong public disclosure laws, called the Public Records Act.

In drafting data privacy bills such as ESSB 5432, which passed in 2021, the Legislature has preserved requestors’ rights to obtain certain information under the Public Records Act. As a result, requestors can still get a lot of information about state and local government employees, particularly requestors who are part of the traditional news media. Under the Public Records Act – specifically, RCW 42.56.250 – DRS needs to provide this information to the Seattle Times

How can you guarantee my safety?

The Seattle Times is not requesting, and will not receive, your home or work address, Social Security number, phone number, personnel number, DRS member ID, or any of your banking information. In regard to the information that the Seattle Times will receive, such as your name, the name of your employer, and your annual salary, state law (RCW 42.56.250) requires DRS to provide this information to the Seattle Times.

DRS does not make promises regarding the security of the information after the Seattle Times receives it. However, the Seattle Times has made this request, and received this information, annually for several years.

How can the Seattle Times say this isn’t a commercial purpose?

As part of their request, the Seattle Times provided a signed Declaration of Non-Commercial Purpose. Part of the Public Records Act (RCW 42.56.070(8)) allows agencies to have requestors fill out this form when requesting lists of names.

The “commercial purpose” that this law refers to is selling a list for profit, using it to reach out to the people whose names are on the list to try to sell them something, or other direct commercial uses such like this. The way that the Seattle Times uses this information does not qualify as a “commercial purpose” under this law.

What does the Seattle Times do with this information?

The Seattle Times provided a description in the above letter that they submitted along with their request. If you have further questions after reading the letter, please contact the Seattle Times directly. DRS cannot speak for the Seattle Times, and the Public Records Act does not give DRS the authority to inquire further.

What can I do to prevent DRS from releasing my information?

If you want to prevent the release of your information, you need to get an injunction. If you believe that you qualify for an injunction, you or your attorney need to pursue it by bringing a motion to Superior Court.

If the court finds that your situation meets the requirements of RCW 42.56.540 and grants the injunction, you need to send a copy to drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov by the end of the day on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. DRS will not get the injunction for you and cannot assist or provide advice regarding obtaining an injunction.

What’s an employee transmittal code, and does it include my bank account information?

This is an internal code that DRS uses to categorize member and retiree information, and it’s related to the category of employment [such as state government employees or school district employees]. This is not related to your financial institution account.

Who notifies retirees about the Seattle Times request?

DRS notifies employers, unions, and organizations that represent retirees [including but not limited to the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington, the Washington State School Retirees Association, and others]. It is these organizations’ responsibility to notify their employees or members.

The Public Records Act does not actually require state agencies to provide notification to affected parties about requests for their information, but DRS voluntarily chooses to notify employers, unions, and retiree organizations.

Why did I receive this notice even though I haven’t retired?

The annual records request from the Seattle Times applies to all members of all DRS-covered retirement plans, including retired and non-retired members.

Why did I receive this even though I don’t work for the state?

The annual records request from the Seattle Times applies to all members of all DRS-covered retirement plans. Most public sector employees in Washington are part of DRS-covered retirement plans, regardless of whether they work for the state, a school district, a city or town, a public utility district, or some other state or local government.

Is there a permanent opt-out regarding these types of requests, or is there an exception for victims of crimes such as domestic violence or stalking, or for people who are part of the Address Confidentiality Program?

State law does not provide a way to permanently opt out of these types of requests. However, the Washington Legislature passed a bill in 2023 (ESHB 1533) that lets some people who work for public employers prevent their information from being released in response to public records requests from non-media requestors. Learn more about who qualifies for this protection and what employers need to do to implement it.

However, these protections don’t apply to requests from members of traditional media organizations. As a result, DRS is required to provide your information to the Seattle Times unless you get an injunction. 

If you believe that you qualify for an injunction, you or your attorney need to pursue it by bringing a motion to Superior Court.

If the court finds that your situation meets the requirements of RCW 42.56.540 and grants the injunction, you need to send a copy to drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov by the end of the day on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. DRS will not get the injunction for you and cannot assist or provide advice regarding obtaining an injunction.

What if I changed my name for the purposes of domestic violence or gender transitions?

Our system doesn’t have any way of retaining people’s former names. It only lets us use current names, not any previous names. As a result, the information we provide the Seattle Times will not include your former name.