Since your in California, the Davis-Stirling act would apply.
Per
Davis-Stirling.com Even though Corp. Code §8334 gives directors the absolute right to inspect all records, that right has been modified by the courts to protect voting privacy and attorney-client privilege.
From what I'm reading, if the Director has a need to review the records, they are allowed. If they don't have a need but just want to see what's in them, then they might be able to be denied.
Since the Director who wants to look at the files is the Association Secretary who has the responsibility of maintaining, and is the custodian of, Association files, it leads to the question: Why don't they have those records already? Since it appears that they don't have custody of those records, it certainly seems logical that she should have access to them.
Tim