By CBS Los Angeles, Mar. 19, 2015, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has no blanket policy restricting the use of personal email accounts to conduct government business, and it’s among about two dozen states that have no clear rules or precedent-setting cases addressing whether those communications are public records.

The lack of clear policy in California, advocates say, could allow officials to shield sensitive electronic communications from public scrutiny by using personal email accounts.

State Attorney General Kamala Harris, a candidate for U.S. Senate, disclosed Wednesday that she uses a private email account to communicate with senior staff in rare instances.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has faced sharp criticism over her use of a private email account while at the State Department and has acknowledged deleting thousands of them.