Effective January 1, 2020, local agencies will be allowed to create their own public banks. Assembly Bill (AB) 857, known as California's Public Banking Act, allows local agencies and/or joint powers associations to organize nonprofit mutual benefit corporations for the purpose of engaging in the banking business.

On December 9, 2019, the Appellate Court filed its decisions inLong Beach Unified School District v. Margaret Williams LLC, holding that an indemnity provision included in a consultant agreement between the parties was unfair and therefore inapplicable to claims brought by the consultant, Margaret Williams, or her consultant company, Margaret Williams LLC, against the District.

Effective January 1, 2020, employees complaining of discrimination in the workplace will have three years to file a charge of discrimination with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH).

The risks involved in asking a court to halt the disclosure of documents sought under a California Public Records Act (CPRA) request were just expanded to public agencies. About a year ago, we reported that a pair of court decisions held that private parties who lose in a lawsuit, to prevent government agencies from disclosing personal information, may be required to pay the reques

While a new law ensures that community college districts may continue to utilize the design-build construction delivery method for another ten years, it also imposes additional labor requirements on all design-build projects.

California lawmakers recently proposed Assembly Bill (AB) 1184, which would have required public agencies to retain business related e-mails for at least two years. While the Governor did not sign the bill, this legislative effort again shows the significant interest in preserving e-mails as part of a public agency's public record.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, and as part of the ongoing legislative response to it, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 749 into law, which prohibits no-rehire clauses in certain types of settlement and severance agreements.

According to the California Department of Education Office of Financial Accountability and Information Services, pursuant to Public Contract Code section 20111(a), the bid threshold for K-12 school districts' purchases of equipment, materials, supplies and services (except construction services) has been adjusted to $95,200, effective January 1, 2020.

Assembly Bill (AB) 806 was signed into law by Governor Newsom on July 31, 2019, extending the following postsecondary educational resources to formerly homeless youth.