On June 20, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board adopted new rules for California employers to improve indoor heat illness prevention (Section 3396 Standards).

On September 30, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1997, which makes significant changes to the current definitions, rules, and protocols applicable to the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS).

On September 27, 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2999, also known as the Healthy Homework Act, into law, following growing concern about students’ mental health amid an increasing volume of homework.

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.