Peace officers: injury or illness: leaves of absence.

Senator Ashby's legislation extends salary protection benefits to peace officers employed by California's eighth-class counties, allowing them to receive paid leave when disabled by duty-related injuries or illnesses. The measure amends Labor Code Section 4850, which currently provides similar benefits to other public safety personnel including city police, firefighters, and sheriff's deputies.

Under the amended provisions, qualifying peace officers may receive up to one year of paid leave when disabled by injuries sustained in the line of duty, or until they begin receiving permanent disability pension payments. The leave replaces standard workers' compensation disability payments during the covered period. The bill maintains existing exclusions for administrative and clerical staff whose duties fall outside active law enforcement functions, such as telephone operators and stenographers. It also preserves the current exemption for certain public safety employees of the City and County of San Francisco, with that exclusion applying retroactively to January 2010.

The measure retains key provisions specifying that leave taken under this section does not count toward or reduce family care and medical leave allowances for peace officers and firefighters. For employers carrying disability insurance, insurers may continue making disability indemnity payments that would have been required absent this special leave provision.