Transgender students attending California public schools will not be affected by the recent U.S. Department of Justice action rescinding the federal guidance regarding transgender students’ use of bathrooms and facilities that match their gender identity. In May 2016, under the prior U.S. executive administration, the Department of Justice and Department of Education publicized guidance to…

Public agencies often face the unenviable task of reviewing and producing hundreds or thousands of pages in response to Public Records Act (“PRA”) requests.  Not surprisingly, records occasionally slip through the cracks and, sometimes, these documents are protected by the attorney-client privilege. Government Code section 6254.5 states that whenever an exempt record is to be…

Two recent cases from the Public Employment Relations Board (“PERB”) may significantly expand the right of employees to union representation in meetings with the employer. Sonoma Sonoma County Superior Court (2015) PERB Decision No. 2409, issued earlier this year, has the potential to significantly expand the circumstances under which an employee is entitled to union…

The Legislature has enacted AB 304, emergency legislation amending the Healthy Workplace, Healthy Families Act (“Act”), which requires most California employers to provide sick leave to their employees. These emergency amendments generally clarify some of the Act’s provisions, in addition to providing some flexibility in the way that sick leave is accrued by employees.  The…