According to FindLaw, starting January 1, 2025, a new California law lets local government leaders hold private meetings to discuss employee pay. This includes discussions about salaries, pay schedules, and benefits for both represented and unrepresented employees.

Before these private meetings, agencies must first have an open meeting where they introduce their designated representatives. The goal of these private discussions is to talk about the agency’s position and to give instructions to these representatives on how to handle negotiations.

While they can talk about available funds and priorities in these closed meetings, any final decisions about the pay of unrepresented employees cannot be made during this time.

The law also allows these leaders to meet with state conciliators, who help with discussions when needed.

In this context, “employees” means not only workers but also independent contractors acting like employees. However, it does not include elected officials or members of the legislative body.

These rules are aimed at keeping certain discussions private while still providing some level of transparency, ensuring careful management of public resources while considering the needs of local employees.