Article 1. General of California Government Code >> Division 2. >> Title 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 1.

There is in the State Government the Legislative Counsel Bureau. The bureau is in charge of a chief, who is a civil executive officer and who shall be known as the Legislative Counsel of California.

The Legislative Counsel shall be selected by concurrent resolution at the beginning of each regular session and shall serve until his or her successor is selected and qualified.

If a vacancy occurs while the Legislature is not in session, a committee consisting of the Speaker of the Assembly, the Speaker pro Tempore of the Assembly, the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate shall select the Legislative Counsel to serve until the Legislature in session makes a selection for the office.

The Legislative Counsel shall be chosen without reference to party affiliations and solely on the ground of fitness to perform the duties of his or her office.

The annual salary of the Legislative Counsel is twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or such greater amount as may be prescribed by the Joint Rules Committee. The Legislative Counsel shall be repaid all actual expenses incurred or paid by him or her in the discharge of his or her duties.

(a) The Legislative Counsel may employ and fix the compensation, in accordance with law, of such professional assistants and clerical and other employees as he or she deems necessary for the effective conduct of the work under his or her charge.
  (b) The Legislative Counsel and the employees of the Legislative Counsel Bureau shall, to the extent that funds appropriated for the support of the Legislative Counsel Bureau include funds for that purpose, receive any or all of the employee benefits provided to employees of either house of the Legislature. The benefits that are authorized by this subdivision shall be in addition to any other employee benefits authorized by any other provision of law.
  (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (c) of Section 19853, the Legislative Counsel and the employees of the Legislative Counsel Bureau shall observe any holiday designated pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 19853, that is also observed by the Legislature, on the same day that the holiday is observed by the Legislature.

(a) Notwithstanding Sections 18523, 18900, 18901, 18930, 18930.5, 18931, 18933, 18936, 18937, 18938.5, 18939, 18950, 19050, 19052, 19054, 19054.1, 19057, 19057.1, 19057.2, 19057.4, 19081, and 19101, or any other provision of law, but consistent with the merit principles of subdivision (b) of Section 1 of Article VII of the California Constitution, the Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority may assign persons to classifications and ranges, conduct examinations, and make appointments as specified by this section. The purpose of this section is to improve the management of the Legislative Data Center, a division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau, and to provide the Legislative Counsel Bureau with greater flexibility and adaptability reflective of the information technology profession.
  (b) The Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority may, as a consolidation of the information technology classifications otherwise available to the bureau, utilize the band classifications of information systems supervisor/manager, information technology specialist, and information technician, as available to the bureau on January 1, 2003, under the demonstration project described in Section 1 of the act that added this section, as those classifications may subsequently be modified by the State Personnel Board, or into other information technology classifications established by the State Personnel Board. Each of these band classifications is hereby divided into the ranges that existed in that classification on January 1, 2003, under that demonstration project, which ranges may be modified as provided for by the State Personnel Board, including the delegation of authority to the Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority.
  (c) Through the delegation of authority to the Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority or otherwise, the State Personnel Board shall provide for the allocation, as appropriate, of employees of the bureau having civil service status to the appropriate classification and range authorized pursuant to this section and shall grant to each employee the same civil service status in that classification and range without further examination.
  (d) The Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority may conduct competitive examinations on a position-by-position basis for the information technology classifications described in this section and make appointments for information technology positions either in the manner described in Article 6 (commencing with Section 549.70) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 1 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations in effect on January 1, 2003, or in any other manner approved by the State Personnel Board. In its exercise of authority under this subdivision pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 549.70) of Subchapter 4 of Chapter 1 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations, the Legislative Counsel Bureau appointing authority shall rank each examination candidate in the manner specified in Article 4 (commencing with Section 548.30) and Article 5 (commencing with Section 548.40) of Subchapter 2 of Chapter 1 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the California Code of Regulations.

The permanent office of the Legislative Counsel shall be in the State Capitol in Sacramento, where he or she shall be provided with suitable and sufficient offices convenient to the chambers of the Senate and Assembly. For the convenience of Members of the Legislature, and when in his or her judgment the conduct of his or her work requires, he or she may maintain temporary offices at other places in the state.

(a) The Legislative Counsel shall maintain the attorney-client relationship with each Member of the Legislature with respect to communications between the member and the Legislative Counsel except as otherwise provided by the rules of the Legislature. All materials arising out of this relationship, including, but not limited to, proposed bills and amendments, analyses, opinions, and memoranda prepared by the Legislative Counsel, are not public records, except as otherwise provided by the rules of the Legislature or when released by the member for whom the material was prepared. When he or she determines that the public interest so requires, the Legislative Counsel may release any material arising out of the attorney-client relationship with a former Member of the Legislature who is not available to execute a release.
  (b) (1) The Legislative Counsel shall maintain the attorney-client relationship with the Governor with respect to communications between the Governor and the Legislative Counsel. All materials arising out of this relationship, including, but not limited to, legal services concerning any bill in the Governor's hands for rejection, approval, or other action, legal services concerning any legal opinion provided to the Governor, and legal services concerning any matter as the circumstances permit and the Governor requests, prepared by the Legislative Counsel, are not public records, except when released by the Governor. When he or she determines that the public interest so requires, the Legislative Counsel may release any material arising out of the attorney-client relationship with a former Governor who is not available to execute a release.
  (2) Whenever the Legislative Counsel issues an opinion to the Governor analyzing the constitutionality, operation, or effect of a bill or other legislative measure that is then pending before the Legislature, or of any amendment made or proposed to be made to that bill or measure, the Legislative Counsel shall deliver two copies of the opinion to the first-named author of the bill or measure as promptly as feasible after delivery of the original opinion, and shall also deliver a copy to any other author of the bill or measure who requests a copy.

Neither the Legislative Counsel nor any other employee of the bureau shall reveal to any person outside thereof the contents or nature of any matter which has not become a public record, except with the consent of the person bringing the matter before the bureau.

The material, including books and other publications, of the State Library shall be made available to the bureau. The University of California, all State agencies and other official State organizations, and all persons connected therewith shall give the Legislative Counsel ready access to their records and full information and reasonable assistance in any matters of research requiring recourse to them or to data within their knowledge or control.

Subject to Article 3 (commencing with Section 10270), neither the Legislative Counsel nor any employee of the bureau shall oppose or urge legislation.

The Legislative Counsel, or any deputy legislative counsel, may administer and certify oaths.