BILL NUMBER: AB 951	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MARCH 26, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Wilk

                        FEBRUARY 26, 2015

   An act to amend Section 54954 of the Government Code, relating to
local government.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 951, as amended, Wilk. Local agencies.
   Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires the 
legislative body of a local agency to provide the time and place for
holding regular meetings of the legislative body. 
regular and special meetings of a legislative body to be held within
the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises
jurisdiction, except that the local agency may meet at its principal
office if that office is located outside the territory over which
the agency exercises jurisdiction.  
   This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to this
law.  
   This bill would, notwithstanding the exception described above,
require the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District to meet in Santa
Clarita. By imposing new duties on the Santa Clarita Valley
Sanitation District, this bill would impose a state-mandated local
program.  
   This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to
the necessity of a special statute.  
   The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the
purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies
and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a
statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public
records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the
enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this
purpose.  
   This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. 

   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. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  no
  yes  . State-mandated local program:  no
  yes  .


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 54954 of the Government Code is amended to
read:
   54954.  (a) Each legislative body of a local agency, except for
advisory committees or standing committees, shall provide, by
ordinance, resolution, bylaws, or by whatever other rule is required
for the conduct of business by that body, the time and place for
holding regular meetings. Meetings of advisory committees or standing
committees, for which an agenda is posted at least 72 hours in
advance of the meeting pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section
54954.2, shall be considered for purposes of this chapter as regular
meetings of the legislative body.
   (b) Regular and special meetings of the legislative body shall be
held within the boundaries of the territory over which the local
agency exercises jurisdiction, except to do any of the following:
   (1) Comply with state or federal law or court order, or attend a
judicial or administrative proceeding to which the local agency is a
party.
   (2) Inspect real or personal property that cannot be conveniently
brought within the boundaries of the territory over which the local
agency exercises jurisdiction provided that the topic of the meeting
is limited to items directly related to the real or personal
property.
   (3) Participate in meetings or discussions of multiagency
significance that are outside the boundaries of a local agency's
jurisdiction. However, a meeting or discussion held pursuant to this
subdivision shall take place within the jurisdiction of one of the
participating local agencies and be noticed by all participating
agencies as provided for in this chapter.
   (4) Meet in the closest meeting facility if the local agency has
no meeting facility within the boundaries of the territory over which
the local agency exercises jurisdiction, or at the principal office
of the local agency if that office is located outside the territory
over which the agency exercises jurisdiction.
   (5) Meet outside their immediate jurisdiction with elected or
appointed officials of the United States or the State of California
when a local meeting would be impractical, solely to discuss a
legislative or regulatory issue affecting the local agency and over
which the federal or state officials have jurisdiction.
   (6) Meet outside their immediate jurisdiction if the meeting takes
place in or nearby a facility owned by the agency, provided that the
topic of the meeting is limited to items directly related to the
facility.
   (7) Visit the office of the local agency's legal counsel for a
closed session on pending litigation held pursuant to Section
54956.9, when to do so would reduce legal fees or costs.
   (c) Meetings of the governing board of a school district shall be
held within the district, except under the circumstances enumerated
in subdivision (b), or to do any of the following:
   (1) Attend a conference on nonadversarial collective bargaining
techniques.
   (2) Interview members of the public residing in another district
with reference to the trustees' potential employment of an applicant
for the position of the superintendent of the district.
   (3) Interview a potential employee from another district.
   (d) Meetings of a joint powers authority shall occur within the
territory of at least one of its member agencies, or as provided in
subdivision (b). However, a joint powers authority that has members
throughout the state may meet at any facility in the state that
complies with the requirements of Section 54961.
   (e) If, by reason of fire, flood, earthquake, or other emergency,
it shall be unsafe to meet in the place designated, the meetings
shall be held for the duration of the emergency at the place
designated by the presiding officer of the legislative body, or his
or her designee, in a notice to the local media that have requested
notice pursuant to Section 54956, by the most rapid means of
communication available at the time. 
   (f) Notwithstanding paragraph (4) of subdivision (b), all regular
and special meetings of the Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District
shall be held in Santa Clarita. 
   SEC. 2.   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 need to hold meetings of the
Santa Clarita Valley Sanitation District in a location in Santa
Clarita instead of at the principal office of the district, which is
over fifty miles away. 
   SEC. 3.    The Legislature finds and declares that
Section 1 of this act, which amends Section 54954 of the Government
Code, furthers, within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision
(b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the
purposes of that constitutional section as it relates to the right of
public access to the meetings of local public bodies or the writings
of local public officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph
(7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California
Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings: 

   Because of the need to hold meetings of the Santa Clarita Valley
Sanitation District in a location in Santa Clarita instead of at the
principal office of the district, which is over fifty miles away,
this act would further the purpose of Section 3 of Article I of the
California Constitution. 
   SEC. 4.    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 under this act would result from a
legislative mandate that is within the scope of paragraph (7) of
subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California
Constitution.