BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Tom Torlakson, Chairman
190 (Yee)
Hearing Date: 04/23/07 Amended: 03/29/07
Consultant: Dan Troy Policy Vote: ED 8-0, JUD 4-1
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BILL SUMMARY: This bill would extend the provisions of the
Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act to specified meetings of the
Trustees of the California State University (CSU), including
standing and special committees, and advisory groups that
include one or more trustees that have jurisdiction over
compensation, benefits, pensions or working conditions. The
bill would also require any discussion and action regarding
specified executive compensation to occur in an open session of
the appropriate committee of trustees, and that final discussion
or action taken on the proposal occur in an open session of the
full board.
The bill would also extend the open meeting provisions
applicable to meetings of the Regents of the University of
California (UC) to advisory and study groups that include at
least one regent, save for ex officio members, and that have
regular meetings or address issues with continuing subject
matter. Further, this bill would require that actions taken by
a committee of regents or final action by the full board on
proposals concerning compensation packages for executive
officers shall occur in open session and shall include
disclosure of the proposal and a rationale for the action.
Public comment would also be required in these sessions.
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Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Fund
CSU $20-$40 annually General
UC $35 annually
General
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STAFF COMMENTS: This bill is a response to published media
reports, audits, and legislative testimony concerning UC and CSU
executive compensation that many consider excessive and that was
often approved in closed formats which provided little or no
disclosure or opportunity for public input. This bill addresses
that issue by requiring actions concerning executive
compensation taken by committees of trustees or regents or final
actions taken by the relevant board to occur in open session and
include disclosure of the proposal.
By extending sunshine provisions on standing committees,
subcommittees, advisory groups, etc., that include regents or
trustees, this bill will impose costs on CSU and UC. UC
estimates that the cost of holding open rather than closed
meetings for advisory group meetings captured under this bill
would be approximately $35,000 annually, primarily for providing
public notice, and publishing agendas, utilizing more expensive
public rooms, etc. The per-meeting cost of compliance is
estimated at $1,000, and 35
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SB 190, page 2
meetings would be impacted by the bill.
CSU has provided estimates of $5,000 to $10,000 per meeting for
20 meetings, for a cost range of $100,000 to $200,000. However,
staff believes these estimates, by incorporating discretionary
activities such as video conferencing and the rental of PA
systems, exceed what is specifically required by this bill. The
actual per-meeting cost of compliance is likely to be closer to
the $1,000 estimated by UC. Staff suggests an annual cost range
of between $20,000 and $40,000 for CSU.
A similar bill (AB 775, Yee) was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee last year. That bill addressed only UC
and extended open meeting provisions to a broader group of
subcommittees and advisory groups than does this bill. By
limiting the scope of the meetings to be held as open sessions,
this bill has lesser costs than did AB 775.