Claims against public entities.

Assembly Member Lee's proposal to modify California's Government Claims Act would establish a uniform one-year filing period for all claims against public entities, eliminating the current six-month deadline for cases involving death, personal injury, property damage, or crop loss.

The legislation maintains existing procedures for claim submission through the Department of General Services, including the $25 filing fee requirement and fee waiver provisions. Under the bill, a claim's filing date would be determined by when it is submitted with the required fee, when a fee waiver is granted, or when a fee waiver is denied but the fee is paid within 10 calendar days of denial notification.

This modification to the Government Claims Act would create consistency across all types of claims while preserving other procedural requirements for pursuing legal action against state and local government entities. The Department of General Services would continue to process claims according to these standardized timelines, with public entities adjusting their administrative systems to reflect the unified one-year presentation period.