On September 25, 2024, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2534 into law, amending Education Code section 44939.5. Beginning January 1, 2025, the amended statute will introduce important changes to the hiring process for certificated staff within California’s public educational institutions.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed two new bills into law impacting student truancy and absences for students in grades K-12, including those attending charter schools.

Among the many recent bills passed by the California Legislature and signed into law are two bills impacting students and curriculum: Assembly Bill (AB) 2377 and AB 2229.

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.

Public project bid limits are set to increase for public agencies that have opted into the cost accounting procedures under the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (UPCCAA).

On August 28, 2024, the Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 3216, known as the Phone-Free Schools Act, which was signed into law by the Governor on September 23, 2024.

The California Supreme Court recently held in Stone v. Alameda Health System (August 15, 2024, No. S279137) __ Cal.__ __[2024 WL 3819163] that certain Labor Code provisions and related Industrial Wage Commission (IWC) wage orders governing meal and rest breaks do not apply to public agencies.