2019 California Code
Government Code - GOV
TITLE 5 - LOCAL AGENCIES
DIVISION 2 - CITIES, COUNTIES, AND OTHER AGENCIES
PART 1 - POWERS AND DUTIES COMMON TO CITIES, COUNTIES, AND OTHER AGENCIES
CHAPTER 9 - Meetings
Section 54956.96.

(a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the legislative body of a joint powers agency formed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 5 of Division 7 of Title 1, from adopting a policy or a bylaw or including in its joint powers agreement provisions that authorize either or both of the following:

(1) All information received by the legislative body of the local agency member in a closed session related to the information presented to the joint powers agency in closed session shall be confidential. However, a member of the legislative body of a local agency member may disclose information obtained in a closed session that has direct financial or liability implications for that local agency to the following individuals:

(A) Legal counsel of that local agency member for purposes of obtaining advice on whether the matter has direct financial or liability implications for that local agency member.

(B) Other members of the legislative body of the local agency present in a closed session of that local agency member.

(2) A designated alternate member of the legislative body of the joint powers agency who is also a member of the legislative body of a local agency member and who is attending a properly noticed meeting of the joint powers agency in lieu of a local agency member’s regularly appointed member to attend closed sessions of the joint powers agency.

(b) If the legislative body of a joint powers agency adopts a policy or a bylaw or includes provisions in its joint powers agreement pursuant to subdivision (a), then the legislative body of the local agency member, upon the advice of its legal counsel, may conduct a closed session in order to receive, discuss, and take action concerning information obtained in a closed session of the joint powers agency pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

(c) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2025.

(Repealed (in Sec. 1) and added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 248, Sec. 2. (SB 355) Effective January 1, 2020. Section operative January 1, 2025, by its own provisions.)