Public employee relations: Los Angeles.

Existing law, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, regulates labor relations between employees and management of local public agencies. Existing law grants the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) specified powers and duties in connection with the act, including making unit determinations in disputed cases and supervising representation elections. Existing law excepts the County of Los Angeles and the City of Los Angeles from the PERB grant of authority, providing instead that the employment relations commissions in those jurisdictions are responsible for those functions. This bill would prescribe requirements for an appointment to an employee relations commission of the County of Los Angeles or of the City of Los Angeles. The bill would require a nomination to be made within 30 days, as specified, from a list of nominees to be determined by the chief executive officer of the County of Los Angeles or by the chief administrative officer of the City of Los Angeles, as applicable, and a committee composed of employee organizations. The bill would require an appointee to have at least 5 years of full-time experience as a professional neutral party resolving disputes between employee organizations and public agencies or resolving disputes between private employers and labor organizations. The bill would prohibit an appointee from consulting or providing representation or advice regarding employee relations to any public or private employer or public or private employee organization while serving on an employee relations commission. The bill would also prohibit the County of Los Angeles or the City of Los Angeles, in contracting for services with a commission member or hearing officer assigned to make determinations for a commission, from requiring indemnity agreements or malpractice insurance, as specified, or from withholding or reducing payment from the member or officer after services are provided. The bill would specify that these provisions may be enforced by an action for a writ of mandate. By establishing new duties on local officials, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.