Title GOV, California Gov. Code

An employee of a state or local agency, as defined by Sections 11000 and 54951, may not be dismissed to carry out the purposes of this chapter. A state or local public agency need only implement this chapter by filling employee public contact positions made vacant by retirement o…

Any materials explaining services available to the public shall be translated into any non-English language spoken by a substantial number of the public served by the agency. Whenever notice of the availability of materials explaining services available is given, orally or in wri…

Every state agency which serves a substantial number of non-English-speaking people and which provides materials in English explaining services shall also provide the same type of materials in any non-English language spoken by a substantial number of the public served by the age…

Whenever a state agency finds that the factors listed in both subdivisions (a) and (c) or (b) and (c) exist, it shall distribute the applicable written materials in the appropriate non-English language through its statewide and local offices or facilities to non-English-speaking …

(a) As used in this chapter, a “qualified bilingual person,” “qualified bilingual employee,” or “qualified interpreter” is a person who is proficient in both the English language and the non-English language to be used. For any state agency, “qualified” means one of the following…

As used in Sections 7292, 7295.2, 7295.4, 7299.3, and 7299.4, a “substantial number of non-English-speaking people” are members of a group who either do not speak English, or who are unable to effectively communicate in English because it is not their native language, and who com…

As used in Section 7292, “a sufficient number of qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions” is the number required to provide the same level of services to non-English-speaking persons as is available to English-speaking persons seeking these services. However, wher…

As used in this chapter, a “public contact position” is a position determined by the agency to be one which emphasizes the ability to meet, contact and deal with the public in the performance of the agency’s functions. (Amended by Stats. 1977, Ch. 1035.)

The provisions of this chapter are not applicable to school districts, county boards of education, or the office of a county superintendent of schools. (Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 1182.)

The provisions of this act shall be implemented to the extent that local, state or federal funds are available, and to the extent permissible under federal law and the provisions of civil service law governing the state and local agencies. (Added by Stats. 1973, Ch. 1182.)

State agencies may, utilizing existing funds, contract for telephone-based interpretation services in addition to employing qualified bilingual persons in public contact positions. (Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 259, Sec. 6. Effective January 1, 2008.)

The Department of Human Resources shall be responsible for informing state agencies of their responsibilities under this chapter and providing state agencies with technical assistance, upon request on a reimbursable basis. (Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 360, Sec. 2. (SB 1309) Effec…

Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, by July 1, 2015, a state agency subject to the requirements of this chapter shall translate and make accessible on the homepage of its Internet Web site, forms and processes for submitting complaints of alleged violations of th…

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision in this chapter, each state agency shall conduct a language survey and develop and update an implementation plan that complies with the requirements of this chapter. (b) Each agency shall conduct a language survey of each of its statewide a…

The Department of Human Resources may exempt state agencies from the requirements of Section 7299.4, where it determines that any of the following conditions apply: (a) The agency’s primary mission does not include responsibility for furnishing information or rendering services t…

The Department of Human Resources shall review the results of the surveys and implementation plans required to be made by Section 7299.4, compile this data, and provide a report to the Legislature every two years. The report shall identify significant problems or deficiencies and…

(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a local agency shall translate information related to an emergency within the local agency’s jurisdiction if 5 percent or more of the population within the jurisdiction speak English less than “very well.” (2) A determi…

It is not the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to prohibit the establishment of bilingual positions, or printing of materials, or use of qualified interpreters, where less than 5 percent of the people served do not speak English or are unable to communicate effe…