Military Department: Office of the Inspector General: California Military Whistleblower Protection Act.

Existing law establishes in state government the Military Department, which includes the office of the Adjutant General, the State Military Reserve, the California Cadet Corps, and the Naval Militia. There is also, within the Military Department, the inspector general, an office that inspects, audits, investigates, trains, and performs various duties necessary to support the mission of the Military Department. This bill would establish specified requirements for the position of California's inspector general, including, among others, a requirement that the Governor appoint the inspector general. This bill would specify the duties of the California Military Department Inspector General, and would require the inspector general to continue to maintain a toll-free public telephone number and Internet Web site to receive complaints and allegations. This bill would authorize the inspector general to investigate specified complaints and allegations of misconduct upon written request of specified persons, and would provide that those requests are not a public record under the California Public Records Act. This bill would establish the California Military Whistleblower Protection Act, which would prohibit a person from restricting a member of the Military Department from making specified communications to a Member of Congress, the Governor, a Member of the Legislature, or any state or federal inspector general, or from taking, or threatening to take, unfavorable personnel actions, or withholding, or threatening to withhold, favorable personnel actions, as a reprisal against a member of the Military Department for making specified communications. This bill would require the California Military Department Inspector General to take specified actions if a member of the Military Department makes allegations that a prohibited personnel action has been taken, or has been threatened to be taken, as provided. This bill would require the Military Department to provide one training per year to the department's civil service employees regarding the role and responsibility of the California Military Department Inspector General and their rights under the California Whistleblower Protection Act, the California Military Whistleblower Protection Act, and any other relevant state or federal law. The California Constitution requires that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.