California Municipal Law Blog
category:
Legislative Updates

The Feds’ New Lawsuit Against State “Sanctuary City” Laws: What’s At Issue

by on March 13, 2018

posted in Law Enforcement, Legislative Updates, Uncategorised,

On March 7, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a lawsuit challenging California’s “sanctuary” state laws.  This is only one in a series of actions that Attorney General Sessions’ has taken to curtail “sanctuary” efforts in the United States. While the term “sanctuary” city or state does not have a precise definition, it generally refers to a jurisdiction that limits its cooperation with federal immigration authorities.  The idea behind a “sanctuary” city or state is to reduce the fear of deportation among immigrants living in a jurisdiction illegally, ... Continue Reading

tags: AB 103, AB 450, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, Jeff Sessions, Sanctuary City, SB 54,

Governor Signs New Law Affecting School District “Lease-Leaseback” Programs

by on October 20, 2016

posted in Legislative Updates, Schools,

On September 23, 2016 Governor Brown signed AB2316 which makes significant changes to the Lease-Leaseback construction program that school districts  have been successfully using for years. The bill arises primarily out of recent litigation in Fresno stemming from allegations of corruption and partiality. These new changes, set to take effect on January 1, 2017, among other revisions, specifically delete the phrase “without advertising for bid” from Education Code §17406 and add a new competitive bidding process to the lease-leaseback procedure. Additionally, it includes a specific provision ... Continue Reading

tags: AB 2316, Lease, Lease-back, Pre-constuction, School construction, School Districts,

Governor Signs Law to Require Agency Reports Before Approving Changes to Executive Compensation or Benefits

by on August 23, 2016

posted in Legislative Updates, Meetings, Uncategorised,

On August 23, 2016, Governor Brown signed SB 1436 (Bates), which mandates that local agencies report out certain information before changing the compensation or benefits of their “executives.”  Under this new law, legislative bodies (e.g., city councils, boards of supervisors, or boards of directors) for agencies must “orally report a summary of a recommendation” for changes in salaries or benefits before voting for the changes.  The votes must then take place in the open session portions of their meetings. SB 1436 is part of an evolving trend toward requiring greater transparency concerning ... Continue Reading

tags: city of bell, closed session, executive compensation, open session, oral report, Public meetings, sb 1436,