SB 827 California Senate · 2025-2026 Regular Session

Local agency officials: training.

Summary

Existing law imposes ethics training on specified local agency officials. Existing law requires each training to be 2 hours and requires the officials to receive each training every 2 years, and as described otherwise, with the first training within one year of commencing service. Existing law requires the local agency to maintain records of the trainings, as prescribed. This bill would expand which local agency officials are required to complete the above-described ethics training to include department heads, or other similar administrative officers, as specified, and would instead require officials who commence service on or after January 1, 2026, to receive their initial training within 6 months of commencing service. The bill would require the local agency to post clear instructions and contact information for requesting the training records on its internet website, as specified. This bill would additionally require all local agency officials, as defined, to receive at least 2 hours of fiscal and financial training, as described. The bill would require the training to be received at least once every 2 years, as provided. The bill would exempt from these requirements specified local agency officials if they are in compliance with existing education requirements specific to their positions. This bill would authorize a local agency or an association of local agencies to contract with or otherwise collaborate with a provider of a training course to offer one or more training courses, or sets of self-study materials with tests, to its local agency officials to meet the training requirement, as described. The bill would require the training courses and materials to be developed in consultation with experts in local government finance, as specified. The bill would require providers of training courses to provide participants with proof of participation for purposes of complying with specified recordkeeping requirements. The bill would require a local agency to provide information on training available at least once annually. By imposing additional duties on local officials, the bill would create a state-mandated local program. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. 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 the statutory provisions noted above.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Jul 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

Assembly Passage

Sep 2025

Signed into Law

Oct 2025

Introduced Feb 21, 2025 Signed Oct 11, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 7 comparisons

What changed between versions

09/02/25 - Amended Assembly → 09/12/25 - Enrolled · 3 edits · Sep 12, 2025

MINOR

SB 827 moved from its Amended Assembly version to Enrolled with two substantive policy changes: (1) the website transparency requirement for training records was reduced from actively publishing records every two years to merely posting instructions and contact information for requesting them, and (2) the definition of 'local agency official' for fiscal and financial training was revised to remove a compensation threshold and replace the broader term 'department head' with the specific statutory term 'local agency executive' as defined in Section 3511.1.

REQUIREMENT

For both ethics training (Section 53235.2(c)) and fiscal/financial training (Section 53238.3(c)), the requirement changed from publishing the most recent training records on a local agency website every two years to only posting clear instructions and contact information for requesting those records. This significantly reduces the transparency obligation - agencies no longer must proactively make records publicly available online.

ELIGIBILITY

In Section 53238(d)(1), the definition of 'local agency official' for fiscal and financial training was changed from requiring that members and elected officers receive compensation to covering all members of a legislative body or elected officers regardless of whether they are paid. This expands coverage to unpaid officials.

DEFINITION

In Section 53238(d)(3), 'department head' was replaced with 'local agency executive, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3511.1.' This narrows the category by tying it to a specific statutory definition rather than using the broader and less precise term 'department head.'

02/21/25 - Introduced → 03/26/25 - Amended Senate · 9 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MAJOR

SB 827 was dramatically expanded from a minor nonsubstantive land use amendment into a comprehensive bill adding new ethical, fiscal, and financial training requirements for local agency officials. The amended version requires all local agency officials to receive at least 2 hours of financial and ethics training if their agency provides any compensation or expense reimbursement to legislative body members, with records published on agency websites. It also tightens the initial training deadline from 1 year to 6 months for officials starting service on or after January 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded dramatically. Originally it only made nonsubstantive changes to Section 65041 (State Environmental Goals and Policy Report). The amended version adds an entirely new training regime under Sections 53234-53238.4 covering ethics, fiscal management, and financial literacy for local agency officials across all cities, counties, school districts, charter schools, and special districts.

SCOPE

Added an entirely new Article 2.4.6 (Sections 53238-53238.4) to the Government Code establishing ethical, fiscal, and financial training requirements for local agency officials. This is triggered when a local agency provides any compensation, salary, stipend, or expense reimbursement to a legislative body member.

Added a legislative finding that local government fiscal management is a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair, making the bill applicable to all cities including charter cities.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the definition of 'local agency official' subject to ethics training to include managerial-level employees with responsibility over the agency's finances, in addition to elected officials and designated employees.

Added an exemption: local agency officials already in compliance with specific education requirements under Sections 26945, 26945.1, 27000.7, 27000.8, or 27000.9 are exempt from the new fiscal and financial training article.

TIMELINE

Officials who commence service on or after January 1, 2026 must now receive their initial ethics training within 6 months of starting service, shortened from the previous 1-year requirement.

Officials in service as of January 1, 2026 who started before that date have until January 1, 2028 to complete the new fiscal and financial training. Officials starting on or after January 1, 2026 must complete it within 6 months.

REQUIREMENT

New requirement that local agencies with internet websites must publish their training compliance records on their website beginning July 1, 2026, and every two years thereafter. Training records must be maintained for at least 5 years and are designated as public records subject to the California Public Records Act.

New requirement that training courses or self-study materials must be developed in consultation with widely recognized experts in local government finance, and that agencies must provide information on available training to officials at least once annually.

FISCAL

Changed from no state-mandated local program to yes, and from no fiscal committee to yes, acknowledging that the new training duties impose costs on local agencies that may require state reimbursement if determined by the Commission on State Mandates.

05/12/25 - Amended Senate → 09/02/25 - Amended Assembly · 5 edits · Sep 2, 2025

MODERATE

The Assembly amendment to SB 827 makes several substantive changes: it clarifies who counts as a 'department head' for school districts and charter schools, expands the definition of officials required to take fiscal and financial training to include appointed officials with budget or financial decision-making authority, narrows the website transparency requirement from actually publishing training records to merely posting instructions on how to request them, and adds local government associations to the group that must consult on training development.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'department head' in the ethics training context: for school districts it means the superintendent, for county offices of education it means the county superintendent of schools, and for charter schools it means the chief administrator.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the definition of 'local agency official' for fiscal and financial training to include any appointed official who makes decisions or recommendations regarding financial administration, budgeting, or use of public resources. Also added 'local agency executive' as defined in Government Code Section 3511.1(d) alongside department heads.

Removed the category of school district board members, county board of education members, and charter school governing body members from the fiscal and financial training definition (they remain covered under the separate ethics training provision).

ENFORCEMENT

Changed the website transparency requirement for both ethics and fiscal training records: instead of requiring agencies to publish the actual training records on their websites, they now only need to post clear instructions and contact information for requesting those records.

REQUIREMENT

Training courses and materials must now be developed in consultation with 'widely recognized experts in local government finance, including local government associations' rather than just 'widely recognized experts in local government finance.'

Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2025 · Assembly Sep 8, 2025

How they voted

28–10

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 40

May 28, 2025

D Democratic30

28 Yea 2

93% Yea

R Republican10

10 Nay

100% Nay

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Oct 11, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by the Governor.

legislature

Sep 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2697.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

upper

Sep 8, 2025

Introduced

In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

upper

Sep 8, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 64. Noes 7. Page 3011.) Ordered to the Senate.

lower

Sep 2, 2025

Lower · Passed

Read second time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

lower

Aug 29, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 10. Noes 2.) (August 29).

lower

Jul 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

lower

Jun 5, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on L. GOV.

lower

May 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 28. Noes 10. Page 1290.) Ordered to the Assembly.

upper

May 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 1. Page 1214.) (May 23).

upper

May 12, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

May 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

upper

Apr 30, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 969.) (April 30).

upper

Apr 2, 2025

Committee

Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

upper

Mar 26, 2025

Upper · Passed

From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Mar 12, 2025

Committee

Referred to Com. on RLS.

upper

Feb 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

upper

1 primary · 2 co-sponsors