Effective January 1, 2026, the maximum monthly compensation for school board and county board of education members allowed by statute will be five times the current maximum amount.

On October 3, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 707, which will go into effect on January 1, 2026.  SB 707 makes significant updates to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act), with the intent of reducing barriers to public participation at meetings held by legislative bodies.

Effective January 1, 2026, Assembly Bill (AB) 640 and Senate Bill (SB) 827 will require school boards, city councils, county boards of supervisors, and special district governing boards, as well as elected and certain administrative officers of cities, counties, and special districts, to receive mandatory training on budgetary and financial legal matters specific to each type of agency.

The California First District Court of Appeal recently ruled in Berkeley People’s Alliance v. City of Berkeley (2025) 114 Cal.App.5th 984, that the City of Berkeley may have violated the Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act) when it moved several City Council meetings to smaller rooms in response to public disruptions.

The Supreme Court has held that the parents of elementary school students challenging a school board’s introduction of LGBTQ+-inclusive storybooks, along with the board’s decision not to provide notice or allow opt outs, are entitled to a preliminary injunction.