[Approved by Governor August 15, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State August 15, 2014.]
AB 1825, Nazarian. School districts: Los Angeles Unified School District: inspector general.
(1) Existing law, until January 1, 2015, authorizes the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Inspector General of the Office of the Inspector General to conduct audits and investigations, as specified, including administering oaths or affirmations. Existing law makes it a misdemeanor, punishable as specified, for a person, after the administration of an oath or affirmation, to state or affirm as true any material matter that he or she knows to be false. Existing law also requires the inspector general to submit annual interim reports by July 1 of each year, and a final cumulative report by December 1, 2014, that includes specified information.
This bill would extend the operation of those provisions until January 1, 2025. The bill would require the inspector general to submit to the Legislature an annual interim report by July 1 of each year, and a final cumulative report by December 1, 2024. By extending the operation of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
(3) This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 35400 of the Education Code is amended to read:
(a) The Los Angeles Unified School District’s Inspector General of the Office of the Inspector General is authorized to conduct audits and investigations. The inspector general may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths or affirmations, take testimony, and compel the production of all information, documents, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and other data and documentary evidence deemed material and relevant and that reasonably relate to the inquiry or investigation undertaken by the inspector general when he or she has a reasonable suspicion that a law, regulation, rule, or school district policy has been violated or is being violated. For purposes of this section, “reasonable suspicion” means that the circumstances known or apparent to the inspector general include specific and articulable facts causing him or her to suspect that a material violation of law, regulation, rule, or school district policy has occurred or is occurring, and that the facts would cause a reasonable officer in a like position to suspect that a material violation of a law, regulation, rule, or school district policy has occurred or is occurring.
(b) Subpoenas shall be served in the manner provided by law for service of summons. A subpoena issued pursuant to this section may be subject to challenge pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1985) of Title 3 of Part 4 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(c) For purposes of this section, Sections 11184, 11185, 11186, 11187, 11188, 11189, 11190, and 11191 of the Government Code shall apply to the subpoenaing of witnesses and documents, reports, answers, records, accounts, papers, and other data and documentary evidence as if the investigation was being conducted by a state department head, except that the applicable court for resolving motions to compel or motions to quash shall be the Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles.
(d) Notwithstanding any other law, a person who, after the administration of an oath or affirmation pursuant to this section, states or affirms as true any material matter that he or she knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed six months or by a fine not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment for the first offense. Any subsequent violation shall be punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year or by a fine not to exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(e) (1) The inspector general shall submit to the Legislature an annual interim report by July 1 of each year, and a final cumulative report by December 1, 2024, on all of the following:
(A) The use and effectiveness of the subpoena power authorized by this section in the successful completion of the inspector general’s duties.
(B) Any use of the subpoena power in which the issued subpoena was quashed, including the basis for the court’s order.
(C) Any referral to the local district attorney or the Attorney General where the district attorney or Attorney General declined to investigate the matter further or declined to prosecute.
(2) A report to be submitted to the Legislature pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(f) This article shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2025, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2025, deletes or extends that date.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances concerning the Los Angeles Unified School District.
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