In a recent decision, California’s Second District Court of Appeal reinforced its stance favoring transparency as it relates to requests for public records, holding that a protective order cannot be used as a shield to withhold records subject to disclosure under the California Public Records Act (CPRA).

Governor Newsom signed four new bills amending the Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act), California’s open meeting law. Each of the new bills, which go into effect on January 1, 2025, will impact how local agencies conduct meetings under the Brown Act.

The Legislature recently passed several bills affecting conflicts of interest under the Political Reform Act of 1974 (“PRA”) and Government Code section 1090 et seq. (“Section 1090”).

In a recent opinion, the California Attorney General found that a gathering of a majority of the members of a city council at a chamber of commerce event constituted a “meeting” of the city council under the Ralph M. Brown Act (“Brown Act”), under the specific facts presented.

AB 764 expands key aspects of the FAIR MAPS Act to apply to school districts, community college districts and county boards of education (referred to herein as “educational agencies”), as well as special districts.

In October 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed four new bills into law that amend existing sections of the Education Code to extend excused absences related to attending religious retreats (AB 1503) and funeral services of immediate family members (SB 350), extend the time to determine an interdistrict transfer appeal (SB 413), and grant homeless and foster youth priority access to intersession pro

In October 2023, Governor Newsom signed a collection of bills making significant changes to the Surplus Land Act.