SB 134: Regional center contracts.

(1)Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is authorized to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires the state to enter into 5-year contracts with regional centers, subject to an annual appropriation by the Legislature, and specifies the responsibilities of the department and the requirements and qualifications of appropriate agencies for purposes of contracting for regional center services. Among other provisions, existing law requires a regional center contract to include annual performance objectives, as specified, and to provide that the regional center will render services in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

This bill would require a contract between the State Department of Developmental Services and a private nonprofit association for the operation of a regional center that is entered into or renewed on and after January 1, 2019, to include specified procedures for employee retention, including requiring a successor contractor to agree to retain designated covered employees of the predecessor contractor for a transition period of 90 days, as specified. The bill would prohibit the successor contractor from reducing the compensation of a covered employee, or terminating a covered employee without cause, during the transition period, and would require the successor contractor to provide each covered employee with a written performance evaluation at the end of the transition period. The bill would authorize a successor contractor and a labor organization to supersede those prohibitions by collective bargaining agreement. If a successor contractor violates certain of these requirements with respect to a covered employee, the bill would authorize the employee to bring an action against the successor contractor for back pay and injunctive relief, as specified. The bill would declare that these provisions are severable.

(2)Existing law requires a regional center to include specified information on its Internet Web site for the purpose of promoting transparency and access to public information, including, among other things, contract awards, annual independent audits, and reports on all prior fiscal year expenditures from the regional center operations budget for all administrative services.

This bill would require that information to include the salaries, wages, and employee benefits for all managerial positions for which the primary purpose is the administrative management of the regional center, as specified.