Join Sloan Sakai’s Sessions at the League of California Cities Conference!

Our attorneys will speak on some of the most important issues facing California public entities, including the ability of the public and press to obtain previously highly confidential police personnel records and the newest developments in workplace drug and alcohol laws. Keep reading for a full list of topics, session descriptions, times and speakers.

Steven Shaw, Partner, Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP

Howard Jordan, Consultant, Management Strategies Group

Walter Tibbet, Consultant, Management Strategies Group

Thursday, October 17^th, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. in Long Beach Convention Center – Room 104 BC

Effective January 1, 2019, a new California law dramatically altered the ability of the public (and the press) to obtain previously highly confidential police personnel records. Senate Bill 1421 amended Penal Code section 832.7 to broadly allow the release of records relating to officer use-of-force incidents, sexual assault and acts of dishonesty. Previously, such records were only available through a Pitchess motion and private review by a judge or arbitrator. Recently, cities, counties and state agencies have been inundated with SB 1421 Public Records Act requests. To complicate matters, there are significant disagreements by unions (and public agencies) concerning the scope of what is covered and whether the law applies to records pre-dating the statute. This session will tell you everything you need to know about the new law, what it covers, how to respond to PRA requests, and how to deal competing viewpoints regarding interpretation of the statute.

Burke Dunphy, Partner, Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP

Madeline Miller, Senior Counsel, Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP

Friday, October 18^th, 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. in Long Beach Convention Center – Room 104 BC

The area of workplace drug and alcohol policy and law is constantly evolving. This session is designed to provide an update on recent developments in workplace drug and alcohol policy to help public employers navigate the minefields of recreational and medicinal marijuana use, pre- and post-employment drug testing, handling of intoxicated employees, the protection of prescription medication users, and when an employer should initiate the interactive process and offer reasonable accommodation as opposed to turning to discipline for employees under the influence at work. This program will discuss new case law, legislation and approaches in these areas, with a particular emphasis on recent developments that have occurred over the last 12 months.