BILL NUMBER: AB 1344 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
CHAPTER 692
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 9, 2011
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 9, 2011
PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 8, 2011
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 30, 2011
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 11, 2011
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 27, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 10, 2011
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 25, 2011
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Feuer and Alejo
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Portantino)
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
An act to amend Sections 9255 and 9260 of the Elections Code, and
to amend Sections 34457, 34458, 54954.2, and 54956 of, to add Section
34458.5 to, to add Article 2.6 (commencing with Section 53243) to
Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of, and to add Chapter
10.1 (commencing with Section 3511.1) to Division 4 of Title 1 of,
the Government Code, relating to local government.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 1344, Feuer. Local governance.
(1) Existing law requires a charter commission to submit, among
other things, a city charter to the voters of a city at either a
special election called for that purpose, at any established
municipal election date, or at any established election date,
provided that there are at least 88 days before the election.
Existing law also authorizes the governing body of any city or city
and county to, among other things, propose a charter and submit the
proposal for the adoption to the voters at either a special election
called for that purpose or at any established municipal election date
or at any established election date, provided there are at least 88
days before the election.
This bill would require a city charter or charter amendment,
whether submitted to the voters by a charter commission or the
governing body of the city or city and county, to be submitted at the
next established statewide general, statewide primary, or regularly
scheduled municipal election date, provided there are at least 95
days before the election. This bill would also require a proposal to
adopt a charter, whether submitted to the voters by a charter
commission or the legislative body of a city or city and county to
include in the ballot description an enumeration of new city powers
as a result of the adoption of the charter, including, but not
limited to, whether the city council will, pursuant to an adopted
charter, have the power to raise its own compensation and the
compensation of other city officials without voter approval.
(2) The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act contains various provisions that
govern collective bargaining of local represented employees. The
Ralph M. Brown Act requires that all meetings of a legislative body
of a local agency be open and public and all persons be permitted to
attend unless a closed session is authorized. Existing law requires
all contracts of employment between an employee and a local agency
employer to include a provision which provides that regardless of the
term of the contract, if the contract is terminated, the maximum
cash settlement that an employee may receive shall be an amount equal
to the monthly salary of the employee multiplied by the number of
months left on the unexpired term of the contract, with a maximum of
18 months.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2012, additionally
prohibit an employment contract for a local agency executive, as
defined, from providing an automatic renewal of a contract that
provides for an automatic compensation increase in excess of a
cost-of-living adjustment or a maximum cash settlement in excess of
certain limits, as specified. By expanding the duties of local
officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(3) Existing law sets forth the penalties for misuse of public
resources or falsifying expense reporting, including, but not limited
to, loss of reimbursement privileges, restitution to the local
agency, civil penalties for misuse of public resources, and
prosecution for misuse of public resources, including imprisonment
for 2, 3, or 4 years, and disqualification from holding office, as
specified.
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2012, require a contract
executed or renewed between a local agency and an officer or employee
of the local agency to include a provision that requires an officer
or employee of a local agency who is convicted of a crime involving
an abuse of his or her office or position, as defined, to fully
reimburse the local agency for specified payments made by that local
agency to the officer or employee. The bill would also require an
officer or employee of the local agency, who is convicted of a crime
involving an abuse of his or her office, to fully reimburse any such
payments that are made by the local agency in the absence of a
contractual obligation between the agency and the officer or
employee.
(4) The Ralph M. Brown Act enables the legislative body of a local
agency to call both regular and special meetings. The act requires
the legislative body of a local agency to post an agenda containing a
brief general description of each item of business to be transacted
or discussed at a regular meeting, in a location that is freely
accessible to members of the public. The act also requires the
presiding officer of the legislative body to deliver written notice
to each member of the legislative body, and to each local newspaper
of general circulation and radio or television station requesting
notice in writing if the presiding officer of the legislative body
calls a special meeting.
This bill would require the legislative body, or the presiding
officer of the legislative body, to provide notice of each meeting,
including special meetings, on the local agency's Internet Web site,
if the local agency has one, as specified. In addition, this bill
would prohibit any legislative body from holding a special meeting
regarding the salary, salary schedule, or other form of compensation
for any local agency executive.
(5) The bill would express a legislative finding and declaration
that, to ensure the statewide integrity of local government, the
provisions of the act are an issue of statewide concern and that,
therefore, all counties and cities, including charter counties,
charter cities, and charter cities and counties, would be subject to
the provisions of the bill.
(6) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse
local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 9255 of the Elections Code is amended to read:
9255. (a) A charter or charter amendment proposed by a charter
commission, whether elected or appointed by a governing body, for a
city or city and county shall be submitted to the voters at an
established statewide general, statewide primary, or regularly
scheduled municipal election date pursuant to Section 1200, 1201, or
1301, provided that there are at least 95 days before the election. A
charter commission may also submit a charter pursuant to Section
34455 of the Government Code.
(b) The following city or city and county charter proposals shall
be submitted to the voters at an established statewide general,
statewide primary, or regularly scheduled municipal election,
pursuant to Section 1200, 1201, or 1301, provided that there are at
least 88 days before the election:
(1) An amendment or repeal of a charter proposed by the governing
body of a city or a city and county on its own motion.
(2) An amendment or repeal of a city charter proposed by a
petition signed by 15 percent of the registered voters of the city.
(3) An amendment or repeal of a city and county charter proposed
by a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered voters of the
city and county.
(4) A recodification of the charter proposed by the governing body
on its own motion, provided that the recodification does not, in any
manner, substantially change the provisions of the charter.
(c) Charter proposals by the governing body and charter proposals
by petition of the voters may be submitted at the same election.
(d) The total number of registered voters of the city or city and
county shall be determined according to the county elections official'
s last official report of registration to the Secretary of State that
was effective at the time the notice required pursuant to Section
9256 was given.
SEC. 2. Section 9260 of the Elections Code is amended to read:
9260. The petition shall be in substantially the following form:
Petition for Submission to Voters of Proposed Amendment to the
Charter of the City (or City and County) of ____
To the city council (or other legislative body) of the City (or
City and County) of ____:
We, the undersigned, registered and qualified voters of the State
of California, residents of the City (or City and County) of ____,
pursuant to Section 3 of Article XI of the California Constitution
and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 34450) of Part 1 of Division 2
of Title 4 of the Government Code, present to the city council (or
other legislative body) of the city (or city and county) this
petition and request that the following proposed amendment to the
charter of the city (or city and county) be submitted to the
registered and qualified voters of the city (or city and county) for
their adoption or rejection at the next statewide general, statewide
primary, or regularly scheduled municipal election date pursuant to
Section 1200, 1201, or 1301.
The proposed charter amendment reads as follows:
First. (setting forth the text of the amendment) ____ (etc.)
Printed
Signature Name Residence Date
___________ __________ ____________ _________
___________ __________ ____________ _________
___________ __________ ____________ _________
SEC. 3. Chapter 10.1 (commencing with Section 3511.1) is added to
Division 4 of Title 1 of the Government Code, to read:
CHAPTER 10.1. LOCAL AGENCY EXECUTIVES
3511.1. As used in this chapter, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Compensation" means annual salary, stipend, or bonus, paid by
a local agency employer to a local agency executive.
(b) "Cost-of-living" means the California Consumer Price Index for
Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers as calculated by the
Department of Industrial Relations.
(c) "Local agency" means a county, city, whether general law or
chartered, city and county, town, school district, municipal
corporation, district, political subdivision, or any board,
commission, or agency thereof, or other local public agency.
(d) "Local agency executive" means any person employed by a local
agency who is not subject to the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (Chapter 10
(commencing with Section 3500)), Chapter 5 (commencing with Section
45100) of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, or
Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 88000) of Part 51 of Division 7 of
Title 3 of the Education Code, and who meets either of the following
requirements:
(1) The person is the chief executive officer of the local agency.
(2) The person is the head of a department of a local agency.
3511.2. On or after January 1, 2012, any contract executed or
renewed between a local agency and a local agency executive shall not
provide for the following:
(a) An automatic renewal of a contract that provides for an
automatic increase in the level of compensation that exceeds a
cost-of-living adjustment.
(b) A maximum cash settlement that exceeds the amounts determined
pursuant to Article 3.5 (commencing with Section 53260) of Chapter 2
of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5.
SEC. 4. Section 34457 of the Government Code is amended to read:
34457. After the charter prepared by the charter commission has
been filed in the office of the clerk of the governing body of the
city or city and county pursuant to Section 34455, the proposed
charter shall be submitted to the voters of the city or city and
county at the next established statewide general, statewide primary,
or regularly scheduled municipal election date pursuant to Section
1200, 1201, or 1301 of the Elections Code, provided there are at
least 95 days before the election.
SEC. 5. Section 34458 of the Government Code is amended to read:
34458. (a) As an alternative to the procedure provided for in
Sections 34450 to 34457, inclusive, the governing body of any city or
city and county, on its own motion may propose or cause to be
proposed, amend or cause to be amended, or repeal or cause to be
repealed, a charter, and may submit the proposal for the adoption,
amendment, or repeal thereof, to the voters at the next established
statewide general, statewide primary, or regularly scheduled
municipal election date pursuant to Section 1200, 1201, or 1301 of
the Elections Code provided there are at least 88 days before the
election.
(b) Prior to approving the submission to the voters of a proposal
to adopt a charter, the governing body shall hold at least two public
hearings on the matter of the proposal of a charter and the content
of the proposed charter. Notice of the public hearings shall be given
by publication pursuant to Section 6066, in a newspaper designated
by the governing body and circulated throughout the city, and by
posting the notice in three public places within the jurisdiction at
least 21 calendar days prior to the date of each public hearing. The
second public hearing shall be held at least 30 days after the first
public hearing. At least one of the public hearings shall be held
outside of normal business hours to facilitate public participation.
The governing body shall not conduct a vote on whether to approve the
submission to the voters of the proposal to adopt a charter until 21
days after the second public hearing.
SEC. 6. Section 34458.5 is added to the Government Code, to read:
34458.5. A proposal to adopt or amend a charter, whether
submitted to the voters pursuant to Section 34457 or 34458, shall
include in the ballot description an enumeration of new city powers
as a result of the adoption of the charter, including, but not
limited to, whether the city council will, pursuant to an adopted
charter, have the power to raise its own compensation and the
compensation of other city officials without voter approval.
SEC. 7. Article 2.6 (commencing with Section 53243) is added to
Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code,
to read:
Article 2.6. Abuse of Office
53243. On or after January 1, 2012, any contract executed or
renewed between a local agency and an officer or employee of a local
agency that provides paid leave salary offered by the local agency to
the officer or employee pending an investigation shall require that
any salary provided for that purpose be fully reimbursed if the
officer or employee is convicted of a crime involving an abuse of his
or her office or position.
53243.1. On or after January 1, 2012, any contract executed or
renewed between a local agency and an officer or employee of a local
agency that provides funds for the legal criminal defense of an
officer or employee shall require that any funds provided for that
purpose be fully reimbursed to the local agency if the officer or
employee is convicted of a crime involving an abuse of his or her
office or position.
53243.2. On or after January 1, 2012, any contract of employment
between an employee and a local agency employer shall include a
provision which provides that, regardless of the term of the
contract, if the contract is terminated, any cash settlement related
to the termination that an employee may receive from the local agency
shall be fully reimbursed to the local agency if the employee is
convicted of a crime involving an abuse of his or her office or
position.
53243.3. On or after January 1, 2012, if a local agency provides,
in the absence of a contractual obligation, for any of the payments
described in this article, then the employee or officer receiving any
payments provided for those purposes shall fully reimburse the local
agency that provided those payments in the event that the employee
or officer is convicted of a crime involving the abuse of his or her
office or position.
53243.4. For purposes of this article, "abuse of office or
position" means either of the following:
(a) An abuse of public authority, including, but not limited to,
waste, fraud, and violation of the law under color of authority.
(b) A crime against public justice, including, but not limited to,
a crime described in Title 7 (commencing with Section 92) of Part 1
of the Penal Code.
SEC. 8. Section 54954.2 of the Government Code is amended to read:
54954.2. (a) (1) At least 72 hours before a regular meeting, the
legislative body of the local agency, or its designee, shall post an
agenda containing a brief general description of each item of
business to be transacted or discussed at the meeting, including
items to be discussed in closed session. A brief general description
of an item generally need not exceed 20 words. The agenda shall
specify the time and location of the regular meeting and shall be
posted in a location that is freely accessible to members of the
public and on the local agency's Internet Web site, if the local
agency has one. If requested, the agenda shall be made available in
appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability, as
required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations
adopted in implementation thereof. The agenda shall include
information regarding how, to whom, and when a request for
disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary
aids or services, may be made by a person with a disability who
requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in
the public meeting.
(2) No action or discussion shall be undertaken on any item not
appearing on the posted agenda, except that members of a legislative
body or its staff may briefly respond to statements made or questions
posed by persons exercising their public testimony rights under
Section 54954.3. In addition, on their own initiative or in response
to questions posed by the public, a member of a legislative body or
its staff may ask a question for clarification, make a brief
announcement, or make a brief report on his or her own activities.
Furthermore, a member of a legislative body, or the body itself,
subject to rules or procedures of the legislative body, may provide a
reference to staff or other resources for factual information,
request staff to report back to the body at a subsequent meeting
concerning any matter, or take action to direct staff to place a
matter of business on a future agenda.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the legislative body may take
action on items of business not appearing on the posted agenda under
any of the conditions stated below. Prior to discussing any item
pursuant to this subdivision, the legislative body shall publicly
identify the item.
(1) Upon a determination by a majority vote of the legislative
body that an emergency situation exists, as defined in Section
54956.5.
(2) Upon a determination by a two-thirds vote of the members of
the legislative body present at the meeting, or, if less than
two-thirds of the members are present, a unanimous vote of those
members present, that there is a need to take immediate action and
that the need for action came to the attention of the local agency
subsequent to the agenda being posted as specified in subdivision
(a).
(3) The item was posted pursuant to subdivision (a) for a prior
meeting of the legislative body occurring not more than five calendar
days prior to the date action is taken on the item, and at the prior
meeting the item was continued to the meeting at which action is
being taken.
(c) This section is necessary to implement and reasonably within
the scope of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article
I of the California Constitution.
(d) For purposes of subdivision (a), the requirement that the
agenda be posted on the local agency's Internet Web site, if the
local agency has one, shall only apply to a legislative body that
meets either of the following standards:
(1) A legislative body as that term is defined by subdivision (a)
of Section 54952.
(2) A legislative body as that term is defined by subdivision (b)
of Section 54952, if the members of the legislative body are
compensated for their appearance, and if one or more of the members
of the legislative body are also members of a legislative body as
that term is defined by subdivision (a) of Section 54952.
SEC. 9. Section 54956 of the Government Code is amended to read:
54956. (a) A special meeting may be called at any time by the
presiding officer of the legislative body of a local agency, or by a
majority of the members of the legislative body, by delivering
written notice to each member of the legislative body and to each
local newspaper of general circulation and radio or television
station requesting notice in writing and posting a notice on the
local agency's Internet Web site, if the local agency has one. The
notice shall be delivered personally or by any other means and shall
be received at least 24 hours before the time of the meeting as
specified in the notice. The call and notice shall specify the time
and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted or
discussed. No other business shall be considered at these meetings
by the legislative body. The written notice may be dispensed with as
to any member who at or prior to the time the meeting convenes files
with the clerk or secretary of the legislative body a written waiver
of notice. The waiver may be given by telegram. The written notice
may also be dispensed with as to any member who is actually present
at the meeting at the time it convenes.
The call and notice shall be posted at least 24 hours prior to the
special meeting in a location that is freely accessible to members
of the public.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, a legislative body shall not
call a special meeting regarding the salaries, salary schedules, or
compensation paid in the form of fringe benefits, of a local agency
executive, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3511.1. However,
this subdivision does not apply to a local agency calling a special
meeting to discuss the local agency's budget.
(c) For purposes of subdivision (a), the requirement that the
agenda be posted on the local agency's Internet Web site, if the
local agency has one, shall only apply to a legislative body that
meets either of the following standards:
(1) A legislative body as that term is defined by subdivision (a)
of Section 54952.
(2) A legislative body as that term is defined by subdivision (b)
of Section 54952, if the members of the legislative body are
compensated for their appearance, and if one or more of the members
of the legislative body are also members of a legislative body as
that term is defined by subdivision (a) of Section 54952.
SEC. 10. The Legislature finds and declares that the fiscal
integrity and stability of local governmental agencies in this state,
including charter cities and charter counties, have a direct impact
on the long-term well-being of all the residents of this state. The
likelihood of businesses locating to or staying in the state is
affected by the perception of a functioning, transparent, and
practical governmental structure in the local governmental bodies in
California. Therefore, the Legislature finds and declares that to
ensure the statewide integrity of local government, the provisions of
this act are an issue of statewide concern. Therefore, this act
shall apply to all counties and cities, including charter counties,
charter cities, and charter cities and counties.
SEC. 11. The provisions of this act are severable. If any
provision of this act or its application is held invalid, that
invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications that can
be given effect without the invalid provision or application.
SEC. 12. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.