County employees' retirement.

Under existing law, counties and districts, as defined, may provide retirement benefits to their employees pursuant to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937. Existing law prohibits any resolution, ordinance, contract, or contract amendment under that law adopted on or after January 1, 2004, from providing different retirement benefits for any subgroup of general members within a membership classification, including, but not limited to, bargaining units or unrepresented groups, unless benefits provided by statute for members hired on or after the date specified in the resolution are adopted by the county or district governing board, by resolution adopted by majority vote, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding made under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. Existing law prohibits any retirement contract amendment from being imposed by the employer in absence of a memorandum of understanding made under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. This bill would authorize the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) by its governing board, by resolution, contract, or contract amendment, to adopt and provide retirement benefits for its employees, including unrepresented employees, hired on, or after, the date specified in the resolution, contract, or contract amendment pursuant to the specified benefit formula. The bill would also prohibit a resolution, contract, or contract amendment from providing retirement benefits for the employees of the SCAQMD, unless those retirement benefits are adopted by the governing board of the SCAQMD pursuant to a memorandum of understanding made under the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act. The provisions of this bill would not apply to employees who were hired before the effective date of the bill.