Existing law, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (act) , authorizes local public employees, as defined, to form, join, and participate in the activities of employee organizations of their own choosing for the purpose of representation on matters of labor relations. The act prohibits a public agency from, among other things, imposing or threatening to impose reprisals on employees, discriminating or threatening to discriminate against employees, or otherwise interfering with specified employee rights guaranteed by the act.
This bill would require each public agency with high vacancy rates for more than 180 days, at the request of the recognized employee organization, to promptly meet and confer with the representative of the recognized employee organization within 21 days about substantive strategies to fill vacancies and to hold a public hearing within 90 days about high vacancy rates and specified related matters. By imposing new duties on local public agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would also include related legislative findings.
The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
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 no reimbursement shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions for costs mandated by the state pursuant to this act, but would recognize that a local agency or school district may pursue any available remedies to seek reimbursement for these costs.

Statutes affected:
AB2561: 11546 GOV
02/14/24 - Introduced: 11546 GOV
03/11/24 - Amended Assembly: 11546 GOV
AB 2561: 11546 GOV