Senate Bill 876- Homelessness

I. SUMMARY Senate Bill- 876 entitled “Homelessness” was introduced by Senator Liu on January 14, 2016. If passed, this bill will amend the Government Code to allow homeless individuals to dwell or sleep in public spaces without risk of criminal or civil sanction. The long term implications of this bill do not seem favorable to […]

Impressive Settlement Agreement Obtained on behalf of the City of Placentia

PLACENTIA, CA – On February 25, 2016, MALDEF and the City of Placentia reached an agreement on how to proceed with providing Latinos equal voting power, without going to court. The agreement calls for a host of actions to be taken by the Placentia City Council, including placing a Charter Amendment Measure on a statewide […]

Vol. 31 No. 9 – A NEW FIRST AMENDMENT CASE INVOLVING A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE

A NEW FIRST AMENDMENT CASE INVOLVING A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE On April 26, 2016, the United States Supreme Court, in a 6 – 2 decision, held in Heffernan v. Paterson, New Jersey et al. that a public sector employee’s First Amendment right was violated even though the employee had not, in fact, engaged in protected political […]

CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT HOLDS THAT A GOVERNMENT AGENCY’S INADVERTENT DISCLOSURE OF PRIVILEGED DOCUMENTS IN RESPONSE TO A PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUEST DOES NOT WAIVE THE PRIVILEGE

On March 17, 2016, the California Supreme Court in Ardon v. City of Los Angeles, 2016 Cal. LEXIS 1572, Case No. S223876 (Mar. 17, 2016), held that the City of Los Angeles’s inadvertent disclosure of privileged documents in response to a Public Records Act request did not waive the privilege under Government Code section 6254.5.[1] […]