Title GOV — California Gov. Code

The Controller or other State disbursing officer may secure and use a facsimile signature machine and sign or countersign all warrants or checks issued in pursuance of his duties by placing a facsimile signature thereon with such machine.

The Controller and any other state disbursing officer using that machine may secure forgery insurance protecting himself or herself and all funds under his or her control or under the control of the state agency to which the disbursing officer is attached against forgery resultin…

The premiums on forgery insurance are a proper charge against appropriations for the support or maintenance of the officer using the machine or the State agency to which the officer is attached.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any requirement that a state agency send material, information, notices, correspondence, or other communication through the United States mail shall be deemed to include the authority for the state agency to send that material, info…

The form of all bonds of licensees, permittees, and all persons other than public officers and employees, furnishing bonds to a State department, office, board, commission or bureau in pursuance of State law shall be on a form which form has been approved as to conformity with ap…

The Attorney General may from time to time modify or revoke approvals so given.

The approval, modification, or revocation of the Attorney General shall be by regulation filed with the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 11380.

The Attorney General may consult with private persons, groups, and associations as to bond forms to be approved, modified, or revoked.

It is the public policy of this state that public agencies exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business and the proceedings of public agencies be conducted openly so that the public may remain informed. In enacting this article the Legislature finds and declares that it i…

As used in this article, “state body” means each of the following: (a) Every state board, or commission, or similar multimember body of the state that is created by statute or required by law to conduct official meetings and every commission created by executive order. (b) A boar…

As used in this article, “state body” does not include any of the following: (a) Except as provided in subdivision (e) of Section 11121, state agencies provided for in Article VI of the California Constitution. (b) Districts or other local agencies whose meetings are required to …

Each state body shall provide a copy of this article to each member of the state body upon his or her appointment to membership or assumption of office.

Any person appointed or elected to serve as a member of a state body who has not yet assumed the duties of office shall conform his or her conduct to the requirements of this article and shall be treated for purposes of this article as if he or she has already assumed office.

As used in this article “action taken” means a collective decision made by the members of a state body, a collective commitment or promise by the members of the state body to make a positive or negative decision or an actual vote by the members of a state body when sitting as a b…

(a) As used in this article, “meeting” includes any congregation of a majority of the members of a state body at the same time and place to hear, discuss, or deliberate upon any item that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the state body to which it pertains. (b) (1) A …

(a) All meetings of a state body shall be open and public and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of a state body except as otherwise provided in this article. (b) (1) This article does not prohibit a state body from holding an open or closed meeting by teleconfe…

All meetings of a state body that are open and public shall meet the protections and prohibitions contained in Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply: (1) “Teleconference” means a meeting of a state body, the members of which are at different locations, connected by electronic means, through either audio or both audio and video. (2) “Teleconference location” mea…

(a) In addition to the authorization to hold a meeting by teleconference pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 11123, any state body that is an advisory board, advisory commission, advisory committee, advisory subcommittee, or similar multimember advisory body may hold an open m…

(a) No person shall be required, as a condition to attendance at a meeting of a state body, to register their name, to provide other information, to complete a questionnaire, or otherwise to fulfill any condition precedent to their attendance. (b) If an attendance list, register,…

(a) Any person attending an open and public meeting of the state body shall have the right to record the proceedings with an audio or video recorder or a still or motion picture camera in the absence of a reasonable finding by the state body that the recording cannot continue wit…

(a) The state body shall provide notice of its meeting to any person who requests that notice in writing. Notice shall be given and also made available on the Internet at least 10 days in advance of the meeting, and shall include the name, address, and telephone number of any per…

(a) Notwithstanding Section 7922.000 or any other provisions of law, agendas of public meetings and other writings, when distributed to all, or a majority of all, of the members of a state body by any person in connection with a matter subject to discussion or consideration at a …

Any state body shall report publicly at a subsequent public meeting any action taken, and any rollcall vote thereon, to appoint, employ, or dismiss a public employee arising out of any closed session of the state body.

(a) Notwithstanding Section 11125, a state body may take action on items of business not appearing on the posted agenda under any of the conditions stated below: (1) Upon a determination by a majority vote of the state body that an emergency situation exists, as defined in Sectio…

(a) A special meeting may be called at any time by the presiding officer of the state body or by a majority of the members of the state body. A special meeting may only be called for one of the following purposes when compliance with the 10-day notice provisions of Section 11125 …

(a) In the case of an emergency situation involving matters upon which prompt action is necessary due to the disruption or threatened disruption of public facilities, a state body may hold an emergency meeting without complying with the 10-day notice requirement of Section 11125 …

(a) An emergency meeting may be called at any time by the president of the Fish and Game Commission or by a majority of the members of the commission to consider an appeal of a closure of or restriction in a fishery adopted pursuant to Section 7710 of the Fish and Game Code. In t…

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the state body shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the state body on each agenda item before or during the state body’s discussion or consideration of the item. This section is not applicable…

(a) Notwithstanding Section 11131.5, in any hearing that the California Victim Compensation Board conducts pursuant to Section 13963.1 and that the applicant or applicant’s representative does not request be open to the public, no notice, agenda, announcement, or report required …

Regional water quality control boards shall comply with the notification guidelines in Section 11125 and, in addition, shall do both of the following: (a) Notify, in writing, all clerks of the city councils and county boards of supervisors within the regional board’s jurisdiction…

(a) (1) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent a state body from holding closed sessions during a regular or special meeting to consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, or dismissal of a public employee or to hear complaints or charges broug…

The state body shall designate a clerk or other officer or employee of the state body, who shall then attend each closed session of the state body and keep and enter in a minute book a record of topics discussed and decisions made at the meeting. The minute book made pursuant to …

(a) Nothing in this article shall be construed to prohibit a state body that has received a confidential final draft audit report from the Bureau of State Audits from holding closed sessions to discuss its response to that report. (b) After the public release of an audit report b…

(a) Prior to holding any closed session, the state body shall disclose, in an open meeting, the general nature of the item or items to be discussed in the closed session. The disclosure may take the form of a reference to the item or items as they are listed by number or letter o…

(a) This article does not prohibit the Tribal Nation Grant Panel from holding a closed session when discussing matters involving information relating to the administration of Article 2.3 (commencing with Section 12019.30) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 that describes, directly or indirec…

In the event that any meeting is willfully interrupted by a group or groups of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of such meeting unfeasible and order cannot be restored by the removal of individuals who are willfully interrupting the meeting the state body conducting th…

No fees may be charged by a state body for providing a notice required by Section 11125 or for carrying out any provision of this article, except as specifically authorized pursuant to this article.

Each provision of this article shall apply to every state body unless the body is specifically excepted from that provision by law or is covered by any other conflicting provision of law.

Each closed session of a state body shall be held only during a regular or special meeting of the body.

The state body may adjourn any regular, adjourned regular, special, or adjourned special meeting to a time and place specified in the order of adjournment. Less than a quorum may so adjourn from time to time. If all members are absent from any regular or adjourned regular meeting…

Any hearing being held, or noticed or ordered to be held by a state body at any meeting may by order or notice of continuance be continued or recontinued to any subsequent meeting of the state body in the same manner and to the same extent set forth in Section 11128.5 for the adj…

(a) The Attorney General, the district attorney, or any interested person may commence an action by mandamus, injunction, or declaratory relief for the purpose of stopping or preventing violations or threatened violations of this article or to determine the applicability of this …

(a) Any interested person may commence an action by mandamus, injunction, or declaratory relief for the purpose of obtaining a judicial determination that an action taken by a state body in violation of Section 11123 or 11125 is null and void under this section. Any action seekin…

A court may award court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the plaintiff in an action brought pursuant to Section 11130 or 11130.3 where it is found that a state body has violated the provisions of this article. The costs and fees shall be paid by the state body and shall no…

Each member of a state body who attends a meeting of that body in violation of any provision of this article, and where the member intends to deprive the public of information to which the member knows or has reason to know the public is entitled under this article, is guilty of …

No state agency shall conduct any meeting, conference, or other function in any facility that prohibits the admittance of any person, or persons, on the basis of ancestry or any characteristic listed or defined in Section 11135, or that is inaccessible to disabled persons, or whe…

No notice, agenda, announcement, or report required under this article need identify any victim or alleged victim of crime, tortious sexual conduct, or child abuse unless the identity of the person has been publicly disclosed.

Except as expressly authorized by this article, no closed session may be held by any state body.

(a) No person in the State of California shall, on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, ethnic group identification, age, mental disability, physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, or sexual orientation, be unlaw…