The California Constitution establishes the civil service and provides that the civil service includes every officer and employee of the state, except as otherwise provided. The California Constitution requires that, in the civil service, permanent appointment and promotion be based on merit ascertained by competitive examination. The California Constitution also establishes the State Personnel Board, as specified, to enforce the civil service statutes, prescribe probationary periods and classifications, adopt other rules authorized by statute, and review disciplinary actions.

This measure would provide that nothing in the provision establishing the civil service shall be construed to limit, restrict, or prohibit the state from contracting with private entities for the performance of personal services, and would authorize the state to enter into a personal services contract with a private entity upon approval of the contract by the Office of Economic Growth. The measure would establish the Office of Economic Growth as an independent office in state government, consisting of an unspecified number of public and private sector members appointed by the Governor and the Legislature, as specified. The office would be responsible for approving personal services contracts proposed by the state and auditing those contracts to ensure compliance with their terms, and would be required to establish criteria for the letting of personal services contracts that provide for the most efficient and cost-effective delivery of state services. The measure would require the office to submit proposed contracts for public safety personal services to the Legislature for review and consideration, and would provide that a proposed contract shall be deemed approved 60 calendar days after it is received by the Legislature unless it is expressly rejected by resolution adopted by a majority of the membership of either house.

This measure would delete the reference to permanent civil service appointments and would instead provide that civil service appointments may be terminated at the will of either the appointing agency or the employee. The measure would require that all civil service examinations be open to any member of the public who meets the minimum qualifications for the position, as specified. The measure would delete the provisions creating the State Personnel Board and would instead require that civil service statutes be enforced by a personnel agency under the authority of the Governor. The measure would require this agency to create and submit to the Legislature a comprehensive plan for the state workforce in order to provide for the efficient and cost-effective delivery of governmental services and the future workforce needs of the state, and would require the agency to administratively implement the plan unless expressly rejected by resolution of either house of the Legislature. The measure would require the Office of Economic Growth to review the plan annually and submit to the Legislature any recommended revisions to the plan, and would require the agency to administratively implement those revisions unless expressly rejected by either house of the Legislature.

The measure would provide that its provisions shall be self-executing, but would authorize the Legislature to enact the statutes to implement these provisions by a ²/₃ vote of the membership of each house, if the statutes further the purpose of these provisions.