Local public employee organizations: notice requirements.

Assembly Member Ortega's public employment legislation mandates a 60-day notice period before public agencies can issue contract solicitations or renewals for services performed by represented employees. The notice must detail the contract's duration, scope, cost, draft solicitation terms, and justification for the agency's decision.

Under the new requirements, if employee organizations request consultation after receiving notice, agencies must engage in good faith discussions about the proposed contract and its effects. While emergency circumstances allow for shortened notification timeframes, agencies must still provide as much advance notice as circumstances permit. The legislation maintains existing collective bargaining requirements while adding these new procedural safeguards.

The measure exempts certain construction-related contracts and associated specialized services from its provisions. It also preserves current employee rights and memoranda of understanding, while placing new administrative duties on local agencies without state reimbursement. Local jurisdictions retain the ability to pursue alternative means of cost recovery through existing legal channels.