The Meyers-Milias-Brown Act contains various provisions that govern collective bargaining of local represented employees. The Ralph M. Brown Act requires that all meetings of a legislative body of a local agency be open and public and all persons be permitted to attend unless a closed session is authorized. Existing law requires all contracts of employment between an employee and a local agency employer to include a provision which provides that regardless of the term of the contract, if the contract is terminated, the maximum cash settlement that an employee may receive shall be an amount equal to the monthly salary of the employee multiplied by the number of months left on the unexpired term of the contract, with a maximum of 18 months.

This bill would, on and after January 1, 2011, additionally prohibit an employment contract for a local excluded employee, as defined, from including any clause that provides for an automatic renewal, an automatic compensation increase, as specified, or an automatic compensation increase in excess of a cost-of-living adjustment. The bill would also require the local agency, as defined, to complete a performance review of any excluded employee, as defined, before an increase in compensation in excess of a cost-of-living adjustment may be implemented for that individual. The bill would also specify that those records, procedures, and actions shall conform to the requirements of law, including, but not limited to, the Public Records Act and the Ralph M. Brown Act. By expanding the duties of local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would express a legislative finding and declaration that, to ensure the statewide integrity of local government, the procedures for the appointment and compensation of excluded employees are an issue of statewide concern and that, therefore, all counties and cities, including charter counties, charter cities, and charter cities and counties, would be subject to the provisions of the bill.

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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.