March 25, 2016

AB 1124 (Perea; 2015) was the subject of a recent joint hearing of the Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee and the Assembly Insurance Committee (materials available here). The bill, passed by a large majority in 2015, requires the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) to establish a formulary for use in the workers’ compensation system by July 1, 2017.

February 26, 2016

AB 2636 (Linder) would allow counties the option of providing an entirely electronic process for requesting one’s own vital records.

February 19, 2016

The Public Employment Labor Relations Board (PERB) recently heard a case related to whether or not employees have the right to union representation during performance evaluations. The appeal came from a complicated case where an employee received a performance review that included a negative evaluation of his work.

There were several irregularities with the meeting, including a lack of notice to the employee for a meeting that occurred at a time the employee did not typically work, and with a different supervisor conducting the review.

February 5, 2016

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) published an online series to analyze a 2014 plan to fund teacher pensions. Pensions are an ongoing concern for solvency and unfunded liabilities, but in 2014 the Governor and Legislature came to an agreement regarding the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS). AB 1469 (2014, Bonta) increased contributions and attempted to set the program on track for sustainability.

February 5, 2016

January 22, 2016

CalPERS CEO Anne Stausboll announced yesterday that she will retire at the end of the current fiscal year.

January 15, 2016

A California case about union dues is being heard by the United States Supreme Court. Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA) concerns a lawsuit filed by ten California teachers who are suing to overturn Abood v. Detroit Board of Education (1977), which allowed states to require all employees represented exclusively by a public-employee union to pay “fair-share” or “agency” fees.

January 8, 2016

The Veterans Housing and Homelessness Prevention Program (VHHP) was the subject of an oversight hearing on Tuesday, January 5. The Senate Veterans Committee met jointly with the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee to discuss this relatively new program and to hear about lessons learned from the first round of funding awards and where the program is headed in the future.

Frances Stevens v Workers’ Compensation Appeals BoardDoes Independent Medical Review Violate an Employee’s Due Process?

The proponents of a proposed pension reform ballot measure have abandoned the original proposal and have instead split it into two separate initiatives.

Counties will recall that The Voter Empowerment Act of 2016 received a less than favorable Title and Summary from the California Attorney General back in August. The advocates of the measure have now proposed a pair of measures.

The Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals has denied a request by home health associations for a stay of its ruling that entitles home health workers to overtime pay and minimum wage. 

Governor Vetoes FEHA Protections for Reserve Peace Officers

Governor Brown vetoed Assembly Bill 272, by Assembly Member Tom Lackey, on September 8. This bill, which was opposed by CSAC and CSAC-EIA, would have added volunteer reserve peace officers as “employees” under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). CSAC was opposed to this bill because of the potential implications for treating volunteers as employees. Reserve officers are unpaid volunteers who work on an as-needed basis.

Appropriations Committees Determine Fate of Legislation Impacting Counties

The Senate and Assembly Appropriations Committees yesterday voted on hundreds of bills that had been awaiting action due to costs they posed to the State. The following bills of major importance to counties passed out of their respective committees and will next be awaiting a vote on their respective Floors.

Bill Requiring Counties to Provide Costly Credit Monitoring Services in Cases of Data Breach Sent to Suspense File

AB 259, by Assembly Member Matt Dababneh, would require agencies that are the source of a data breach to provide identity theft prevention and mitigation services to affected individuals for one year. Current law requires that an agency disclose news of a breach to any California resident whose unencrypted personal information may have been accessed.

CSAC Takes Oppose Position to Bill Requiring Prevailing Wage for Ready-Mix Concrete Delivery

CSAC now opposes Assembly Bill 219, by Assembly Member Tom Daly, which would expand the definition of “public works” for the purpose of prevailing wage requirements, to include the delivery of ready-mix concrete.

CalPERS Holds Webinars on Risk Mitigation Strategies

The CalPERS Board of Administration and staff recently held a workshop on May 20th to review and discuss two strategies to reduce risk and volatility in the fund. Both strategies are intended to ensure the long-term sustainability of the fund and will have impacts to member and employer contributions in the future. 

Costly Workers’ Compensation Bills Hit Policy Committees Next Week

Two bills that pose major cost implications for public agencies will be heard in the Assembly Insurance Committee on May 6.

Open Data Becomes a Hot Topic in Legislature Next Week

Legislators will hear the following bills in respective legislative committees next week; the bills are part of a larger discussion of making public agency data accessible to the public. CSAC is working closely with the bills’ authors as the discussion evolves.

AB 169 (Maienschein) – Pending
As Amended on April 6, 2015

IHSS

AB 211 (Gomez) – Watch
As Introduced February 2, 2015

AB 211, by Assembly Member Jimmy Gomez, would de-link the transfer of collective bargaining for In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers to the state from the Coordinated Care Initiative. The measure proposes a January 2016 start date for transferring collective bargaining from all counties to the state. 

Labor

AB 11 (Gonzalez) – Pending
As Amended on March 11, 2015