Legislative Bulletin

The News Media Alliance reports that congressional leaders in the Senate and House reached a deal on a $2 trillion economic stimulus package that would increase funding for state and local governments and provide broad economic support and assistance to individuals and businesses to in response to the COVID-19 crisis. According to NMA’s report: “The…

Gov. Gavin Newsom issued another executive order that temporarily suspends the serial meeting prohibitions in the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Act. Existing law (Government code section 54952.2 (b)(1) and Government code section 11122.5 (b)(1)) prohibits a majority of the members of a local legislative body or state a board from having a series of communications…

In response to several local agencies recently announcing their “suspension” of the California Public Records Act, CNPA along with eight open government advocacy groups joined a statement declaring that the CPRA remains in effect and that no authority exists that allows the suspension of California’s Constitutional right of access to documents held by government agencies.…

The Governor issued an additional Executive Order, relating to the Brown and Bagley-Keene Acts, which replaced his previous order that loosened safeguards for teleconferencing. In doing so, he reduced additional protections that allow the public to participate in teleconference meetings. The Executive Order issued on March 17 expressly states that it supersedes the language in…

Earlier today Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order announcing that he has suspended meeting requirements of the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Act in response to the increasing threat posed by the Coronavirus. The order authorizes state and local bodies to hold public meetings by teleconference and to make public meetings accessible telephonically or otherwise…

SB 931 by Senator Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont) has introduced a bill that would require local legislative bodies to email the agenda and informational packets used in meetings to anyone who requests it under the Brown Act. Currently, local bodies, i.e. city councils, are required to provide a copy or mail the agenda and packets to…

A bill that would prohibit agencies from destroying or otherwise getting rid of emails in their custody has been set for its first hearing next week by the Assembly Judiciary Committee. AB 2093, by Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), would require state and local agencies to retain every writing containing information relating to the conduct…

In addition to Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s AB 1850, discussed in last week’s Legislative Bulletin, legislators have introduced 34 bills intended to fix problems with AB 5 this session. Below is a list and brief description of all the AB 5 clean-up bills. Assembly (20) AB 1850, by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) recasts Labor Code Sec.…

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) amended a bill yesterday that would delete the requirement that freelance journalists and photographers can annually submit 35 contributions to a single publication in order to remain independent contractors. The bill, AB 1850, which she introduced earlier this year to fix several problems in AB 5, would exempt a still…

Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) has introduced AB 2372 sponsored by the Ventura County Coroner’s Office to make all autopsy results confidential. “This information can be very traumatizing for the surviving family members of a crime victim,” Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, said in the release. “The families of the Borderline shooting victims should not have to…