SB 8: Peace officers: injury or illness: leaves of absence.
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: Senate
- Latest Version Date: 2025-10-13
Current Status:
Passed
(2025-10-13: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 733, Statutes of 2025.)
Introduced
In Committee
Awaiting First Chamber Vote
Passed First Chamber
In Committee
Awaiting Second Chamber Vote
Passed Second Chamber
Enacted
What does this bill do?
This bill adds full‑time peace officers employed by a county of the eighth class to the workers covered by Labor Code Section 4850. Those officers would get paid leave at their regular salary when disabled by a work‑related injury or illness, in place of temporary workers’ compensation disability pay, for up to one year or until they begin receiving a permanent disability pension.
The summary is provided by generative AI which can make mistakes. For original language, please view the details in the table below.
Existing law establishes a workers compensation system, which generally requires employers to secure the payment of workers compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of and in the course of their employment.
Existing law entitles, among others, local law enforcement and probation officers and firefighters employed on a regular full-time basis to a leave of absence without loss of salary while disabled by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of their duties. Existing law provides that a leave of absence under those provisions is in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments otherwise payable under the workers compensation system.
This bill would expand these provisions to entitle specified peace officers who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class, as defined, to this leave of absence.
Existing law establishes a workers compensation system, which generally requires employers to secure the payment of workers compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of and in the course of their employment.
Existing law entitles, among others, local law enforcement and probation officers and firefighters employed on a regular full-time basis to a leave of absence without loss of salary while disabled by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of their duties. Existing law provides that a leave of absence under those provisions is in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments otherwise payable under the workers compensation system.
This bill would expand these provisions to entitle specified peace officers who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class, as defined, to this leave of absence.
Existing law establishes a workers compensation system, which generally requires employers to secure the payment of workers compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of and in the course of their employment.
Existing law entitles, among others, local law enforcement and probation officers and firefighters employed on a regular full-time basis to a leave of absence without loss of salary while disabled by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of their duties. Existing law provides that a leave of absence under those provisions is in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments otherwise payable under the workers compensation system.
This bill would expand these provisions to entitle a park ranger employed in the County of Sacramento to this leave of absence. specified peace officers who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class, as defined, to this leave of absence.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for park rangers employed in the County of Sacramento.Existing law establishes a workers compensation system, which generally requires employers to secure the payment of workers compensation for injuries incurred by their employees that arise out of and in the course of their employment.
Existing law entitles, among others, local law enforcement and probation officers and firefighters employed on a regular full-time basis to a leave of absence without loss of salary while disabled by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of their duties. Existing law provides that a leave of absence under those provisions is in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments otherwise payable under the workers compensation system.
This bill would expand these provisions to entitle a park ranger employed in the County of Sacramento to this leave of absence.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for park rangers employed in the County of Sacramento.
(a)Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of the persons duties, the person shall become entitled, regardless of the persons period of service with the city, county, or district, to a leave of absence while so disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments, if any, that would be payable under this chapter, for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as the person is retired on permanent disability pension, and is actually receiving disability pension payments, or advanced disability pension payments pursuant to Section 4850.3.
(b)The persons eligible under subdivision (a) include all of the following:
(1)City police officers.
(2)City, county, or district firefighters.
(3)Sheriffs.
(4)Officers or employees of any sheriffs offices.
(5)Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorneys office.
(6)County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7)Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8)Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9)Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
(10)Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11)Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12)Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(13)Peace officers, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 830.31 of the Penal Code, who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class as defined by Sections 28020 and 28029 of the Government Code.
(c)This section shall apply only to persons listed in subdivision (b) who meet the requirements of subdivision (a), and shall not include any of the following:
(1)Employees of a police department whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(2)Employees of a county sheriffs office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(3)Employees of a county probation office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(4)Employees of a city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active firefighting and prevention service.
(d)If the employer is insured, the payments that, except for this section, the insurer would be obligated to make as disability indemnity to the injured, the insurer may pay to the insured.
(e)No leave of absence taken pursuant to this section by a peace officer, as defined by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or by a city, county, or district firefighter, shall be deemed to constitute family care and medical leave, as defined in Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, or to reduce the time authorized for family care and medical leave by Section 12945.2 of the Government Code.
(f)This section shall not apply to any persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) who are employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
(g)Amendments to subdivision (f) made by the act adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.
(a)Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of the persons duties, the person shall become entitled, regardless of the persons period of service with the city, county, or district, to a leave of absence while so disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments, if any, that would be payable under this chapter, for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as the person is retired on permanent disability pension, and is actually receiving disability pension payments, or advanced disability pension payments pursuant to Section 4850.3.
(b)The persons eligible under subdivision (a) include all of the following:
(1)City police officers.
(2)City, county, or district firefighters.
(3)Sheriffs.
(4)Officers or employees of any sheriffs offices.
(5)Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorneys office.
(6)County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7)Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8)Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9)Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
(10)Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11)Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12)Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(13)Peace officers, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 830.31 of the Penal Code, who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class as defined by Sections 28020 and 28029 of the Government Code.
(c)This section shall apply only to persons listed in subdivision (b) who meet the requirements of subdivision (a), and shall not include any of the following:
(1)Employees of a police department whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(2)Employees of a county sheriffs office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(3)Employees of a county probation office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(4)Employees of a city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active firefighting and prevention service.
(d)If the employer is insured, the payments that, except for this section, the insurer would be obligated to make as disability indemnity to the injured, the insurer may pay to the insured.
(e)No leave of absence taken pursuant to this section by a peace officer, as defined by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or by a city, county, or district firefighter, shall be deemed to constitute family care and medical leave, as defined in Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, or to reduce the time authorized for family care and medical leave by Section 12945.2 of the Government Code.
(f)This section shall not apply to any persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) who are employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
(g)Amendments to subdivision (f) made by the act adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.
(a)Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of the persons duties, the person shall become entitled, regardless of the persons period of service with the city, county, or district, to a leave of absence while so disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments, if any, that would be payable under this chapter, for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as the person is retired on permanent disability pension, and is actually receiving disability pension payments, or advanced disability pension payments pursuant to Section 4850.3.
(b)The persons eligible under subdivision (a) include all of the following:
(1)City police officers.
(2)City, county, or district firefighters.
(3)Sheriffs.
(4)Officers or employees of any sheriffs offices.
(5)Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorneys office.
(6)County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7)Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8)Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9)Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
(10)Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11)Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12)Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(13)Park rangers of the County of Sacramento.(13)Peace officers, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 830.31 of the Penal Code, who are employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class as defined by Sections 28020 and 28029 of the Government Code.
(c)This section shall apply only to persons listed in subdivision (b) who meet the requirements of subdivision (a), and shall not include any of the following:
(1)Employees of a police department whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(2)Employees of a county sheriffs office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(3)Employees of a county probation office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(4)Employees of a city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active firefighting and prevention service.
(d)If the employer is insured, the payments that, except for this section, the insurer would be obligated to make as disability indemnity to the injured, the insurer may pay to the insured.
(e)No leave of absence taken pursuant to this section by a peace officer, as defined by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or by a city, county, or district firefighter, shall be deemed to constitute family care and medical leave, as defined in Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, or to reduce the time authorized for family care and medical leave by Section 12945.2 of the Government Code.
(f)This section shall not apply to any persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) who are employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
(g)Amendments to subdivision (f) made by the act adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.
SEC. 2.With respect to Section 1 of this act, amending Section 4850 of the Labor Code, the Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique nature of regional parks within the County of Sacramento.(a)Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or illness arising out of and in the course of his or her the persons duties, he or she the person shall become entitled, regardless of his or her the persons period of service with the city, county, or district, to a leave of absence while so disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments, if any, that would be payable under this chapter, for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as he or she the person is retired on permanent disability pension, and is actually receiving disability pension payments, or advanced disability pension payments pursuant to Section 4850.3.
(b)The persons eligible under subdivision (a) include all of the following:
(1)City police officers.
(2)City, county, or district firefighters.
(3)Sheriffs.
(4)Officers or employees of any sheriffs offices.
(5)Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorneys office.
(6)County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
(7)Officers or employees of a probation office.
(8)Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
(9)Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
(10)Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(11)Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
(12)Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
(13)Park rangers of the County of Sacramento.
(c)This section shall apply only to persons listed in subdivision (b) who meet the requirements of subdivision (a), and shall not include any of the following:
(1)Employees of a police department whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(2)Employees of a county sheriffs office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(3)Employees of a county probation office whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly come within the scope of active law enforcement service.
(4)Employees of a city fire department, county fire department, or fire district whose principal duties are those of a telephone operator, clerk, stenographer, machinist, mechanic, or otherwise, and whose functions do not clearly fall within the scope of active firefighting and prevention service.
(d)If the employer is insured, the payments that, except for this section, the insurer would be obligated to make as disability indemnity to the injured, the insurer may pay to the insured.
(e)No leave of absence taken pursuant to this section by a peace officer, as defined by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, or by a city, county, or district firefighter, shall be deemed to constitute family care and medical leave, as defined in Section 12945.2 of the Government Code, or to reduce the time authorized for family care and medical leave by Section 12945.2 of the Government Code.
(f)This section shall not apply to any persons described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (b) who are employees of the City and County of San Francisco.
(g)Amendments to subdivision (f) made by the act adding this subdivision shall be applied retroactively to January 1, 2010.
SEC. 2.With respect to Section 1 of this act, amending Section 4850 of the Labor Code, the Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique nature of regional parks within the County of Sacramento.
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Date
|
Status
|
|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2025 | Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 733, Statutes of 2025. |
| Oct 13, 2025 | Approved by the Governor. |
| Sep 3, 2025 | Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m. |
| Aug 28, 2025 | In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling. |
| Aug 28, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 2770.) Ordered to the Senate. |
| Jul 10, 2025 | Read second time. Ordered to third reading. |
| Jul 9, 2025 | From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (July 9). |
| Jun 5, 2025 | Referred to Com. on INS. |
| May 28, 2025 | In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk. |
| May 27, 2025 | Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1236.) Ordered to the Assembly. |
| Mar 27, 2025 | Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. |
| Mar 26, 2025 | From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0. Page 567.) (March 26). |
| Mar 18, 2025 | Set for hearing March 26. |
| Jan 29, 2025 | Referred to Com. on L., P.E. & R. |
| Dec 3, 2024 | From printer. May be acted upon on or after January 2. |
| Dec 2, 2024 | Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print. |
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Date
|
Description
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Location
|
Votes
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2025 | SB 8 Ashby Senate Third Reading By Krell | Assembly Floor |
Passed |
|
| Jul 9, 2025 | Do pass. | Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance |
Passed |
|
| May 27, 2025 | Senate 3rd Reading SB8 Ashby et al. | Senate Floor |
Passed |
|
| Mar 26, 2025 | Do pass as amended | Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
|
Organization
|
Position
|
Date
|
|---|---|---|
| California Association Of Joint Powers Authorities | ** Against | |
| California Coalition On Workers Compensation | ** Against | |
| California Fraternal Order of Police | ** Support | |
| Pat Hume, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 5 | ** Support | |
| Peace Officers Research Association Of California | ** Support | |
| Public Risk Innovation Solutions and Management | ** Against | |
| SACRAMENTO COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE EMPLOYEES UNION | ** Support | |
| sacramento county deputy sheriff's association | ** Support | |
| Sacramento County District Attorney | ** Support | |
| Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy | ** Support | |
| Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond | ** Support | |
| Sacramento; County Of | ** Support |
SENATE THIRD READING
STR Bill Id:SB 8
Author:(Ashby)
As Amended Ver:March 27, 2025
Majority vote
SUMMARY
Expands the application of enhanced temporary disability (TD) benefits (commonly referred to as "4850 time").
Major Provisions
Adds park rangers employed by Sacramento County to the categories of public safety workers who are eligible to receive 4850 time.
COMMENTS
- Temporary disability benefits: The goal of TD is to approximate an employee's take home pay during the period after injury when the employee is temporarily unable to work. This goal is implemented by basing the weekly TD benefit on 2/3 of the employee's average weekly wages. Because there is a cap, employees who make more than approximately $1800 per week do not reach this 2/3 goal, but because the benefit is tax free, most employees receive an adequate TD benefit while they are recovering.
- Special public safety benefits: Public safety workers (most police, sheriff, and firefighter employees) receive certain special workers' compensation benefits that other employees do not receive. Most notably, this class of employee has the benefit of a range of "presumptions" that certain illnesses or injuries are automatically deemed to be work related. All other employees are required to prove that their condition is work related. The second significant special workers' compensation benefit is granted by Labor Code Section 4850 – commonly referred to as "4850 time" – and this law grants defined employees up to one year of full pay in lieu of the regular method for calculating TD benefits. Because these benefits are paid due to disability, they are not subject to either state or federal taxes. This applies to regular TD benefits, and to 4850 benefits. Because of the tax-free status of this benefit, a public safety officer takes home substantially more in weekly benefits than they normally earn while working – i.e., normal take home pay plus what would have been paid in taxes.
- Return to Work: Public employers have long observed that the 4850 benefit creates a disincentive in getting injured public safety officers to return to work, even if they are able, due to the financial loss they would suffer when they return. Public employers also note that they face higher overtime costs because they cannot fill a position of an officer who is taking 4850 time, but they still have shifts to cover. The extent of the return to work disincentive may be unclear with respect to these particular employees, but factually, they make more money while off duty on 4850 time than when they return to work.
According to the Author
According to the author, "County and special district park rangers across the state perform a number of peace officer duties, facing similar risks. However, they are not provided the same workers' compensation and disability protections granted to other law enforcement agencies under law. Currently, only Los Angeles' County park rangers receive parity.
Some counties rely on deputy sheriffs or police officers to fill their park ranger positions, further emphasizing both the overlap in responsibilities and disparity in protections. SB 8 amends the Labor Code to extend these benefits to Sacramento County and special district park rangers, addressing the significant gap in workers' compensation and disability protections."
Arguments in Support
According to the Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employees' Union, "On behalf of the Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employee Union (SCCJEU), I write to support SB 8 and thank you for your authorship. This bill extends workers' compensation and disability protection to the Sacramento County Park Rangers who are California peace officers employed on a regular, full-time basis by Sacramento County.
SCCJEU oversees a variety of county peace officers in Sacramento County, including park rangers, whose duties often times overlap with those of law enforcement and other peace officer entities who are already rightfully afforded these protections. Extending these protections to Sacramento County Park Rangers ensures parity across the state and protects many of these frontline workers."
Arguments in Opposition
According to the California Coalition on Workers' Compensation, the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities and Public Risk and Innovation, Solutions and Management, "We oppose this expansion of salary continuation benefits as proposed by SB 8 because no objective evidence has been offered to demonstrate that this enhanced benefit is necessary, and there has been no evaluation of the cost. Local agencies typically fund workers' compensation costs out of their general fund, and every dollar spent on special enhanced benefits must come from somewhere. Funding for the special benefits proposed by SB 8 will come out of local government budgets, and our coalition would respectfully urge the legislature to fully examine both the justification and cost related to the proposal.
Prior legislation that similarly expanded application of this benefit has been met with caution. Specifically, AB 346 (Cooper, 2019) expanded the application of salary continuation benefits to officers at local school districts and county offices of education. That bill was vetoed by Governor Newsom, who observed that the bill "would significantly expand 4850 benefits that can be negotiated locally through the collective bargaining process." Similarly, in 2024 Governor Newsom vetoed SB 1058 (Ashby), a version of SB 8 that would have applied statewide, once again noting that the bill would have local fiscal impacts and that could be negotiated through collective bargaining. We believe the same logic applies here."
FISCAL COMMENTS
None.
VOTES
SENATE FLOOR: 39-0-1
YES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Arreguín, Ashby, Becker, Blakespear, Cabaldon, Caballero, Cervantes, Choi, Cortese, Dahle, Durazo, Gonzalez, Grayson, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, McNerney, Menjivar, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Pérez, Richardson, Rubio, Seyarto, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Strickland, Umberg, Valladares, Wahab, Weber Pierson, Wiener
ABS, ABST OR NV: Reyes
ASM INSURANCE: 14-0-3
YES: Calderon, Wallis, Addis, Alvarez, Ávila Farías, Berman, Chen, Ellis, Gipson, Harabedian, Nguyen, Ortega, Petrie-Norris, Michelle Rodriguez
ABS, ABST OR NV: Hadwick, Krell, Valencia
UPDATED
VERSION: March 27, 2025
CONSULTANT: Paul Riches / INS. / (916) 319-2086 FN: 0001098
Date of Hearing: July 9, 2025
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE
Lisa Calderon, Chair
SBPCA Bill Id:SB 8
Author:(Ashby) – As Amended Ver:March 27, 2025
SENATE VOTE: 39-0
SUBJECT: Peace officers: injury or illness: leaves of absence
SUMMARY: Expands enhanced temporary disability (TD) benefits (commonly referred to as “4850 time”) to park rangers employed on a regular, full-time basis by Sacramento County.
EXISTING LAW:
- Provides, through the workers’ compensation system, comprehensive treatment, disability, and death benefits paid by employers to employees who suffer illness or injury that arises out of, or in the course of, employment. (Labor Code §§3200-6002)
- Includes ordinary TD benefits for up to 104 weeks if an employee is temporarily unable to work during recuperation from the workplace illness or injury. (Labor Code §§4653-4656)
- Establishes a minimum ($252) and a maximum ($1680) TD weekly benefit amount that an employee may receive. The minimum/maximum amounts are adjusted annually to reflect rising wage levels. The benefit provides 2/3 of the employee's average weekly wages, subject to the maximum benefit level. (Labor Code §§4653-4656)
- Provides specified public safety officers with an enhanced temporary disability benefit for up to the first year of temporary disability (commonly referred to as “4850 time”). These safety officers receive their full salary (tax free) during the first year of temporary disability. (Labor Code §4850)
FISCAL EFFECT: None.
COMMENTS:
- Purpose: According to the author, “County and special district park rangers across the state perform a number of peace officer duties, facing similar risks. However, they are not provided the same workers’ compensation and disability protections granted to other law enforcement agencies under law. Currently, only Los Angeles’ County park rangers receive parity.
Some counties rely on deputy sheriffs or police officers to fill their park ranger positions, further emphasizing both the overlap in responsibilities and disparity in protections. SB 8 amends the Labor Code to extend these benefits to Sacramento County and special district park rangers, addressing the significant gap in workers’ compensation and disability protections.”
- Temporary disability benefits: The goal of TD is to approximate an employee's take home pay during the period after injury when the employee is temporarily unable to work. This goal is implemented by basing the weekly TD benefit on 2/3 of the employee's average weekly wages. Because there is a cap, employees who make more than approximately $1800 per week do not reach this 2/3 goal, but because the benefit is tax free, most employees receive an adequate TD benefit while they are recovering.
- Special public safety benefits: Public safety officers (most police, sheriff, and firefighter employees) receive certain special workers' compensation benefits that other employees do not receive. Most notably, this class of employee has the benefit of a range of "presumptions" that certain illnesses or injuries are automatically deemed to be work related. All other employees are required to prove that their condition is work related. The second significant special workers' compensation benefit is granted by Labor Code Section 4850 – commonly referred to as "4850 time" – and this law grants defined employees up to one year of full pay in lieu of the regular method for calculating TD benefits.
- Tax advantages: Because these benefits are paid due to disability, they are not subject to either state or federal taxes. This applies to regular TD benefits, and to 4850 benefits. Because of the tax-free status of this benefit, a public safety officer takes home substantially more in weekly benefits than they normally earn while working – i.e., normal take home pay plus what would have been paid in taxes. Public employers have long complained that this creates a disincentive in getting injured public safety officers to return to work, even if they are able, due to the financial loss they would suffer when they return. Public employers also complain that they face higher overtime costs because they cannot fill a position of an officer who is taking 4850 time, but they still have shifts to cover. The extent of the return to work disincentive may be unclear with respect to these particular employees, but factually, they make more money while off duty on 4850 time than when they return to work.
- Veto Message: A bill that provided 4850 benefits to all park rangers (SB1056, Ashby) passed this committee last year. That bill was vetoed by the Governor with the following message:
To the Members of the California State Senate:
I am returning Senate Bill 1058 without my signature.
This bill expands an existing enhanced paid leave of absence provision, commonly referred to as 4850 time, to park rangers employed by counties and special districts.
While I appreciate the author's intent and do not take lightly the important public service provided by park rangers, this bill would significantly expand 4850 benefits that can be negotiated locally through the collective bargaining process. Many local governments face financial stress, and the addition of a well-intentioned but costly benefit should be left to local entities, particularly given the potential fiscal impact on counties and special districts that employ park rangers.
For this reason, I cannot sign this bill.
Sincerely,
Gavin Newsom
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Fraternal Order of Police
PAT Hume, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 5
Peace Officers Research Association of California (PORAC)
Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employees Union
Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association
Sacramento County District Attorney
Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy
Sacramento; County of
Oppose
California Association of Joint Powers Authorities (CAJPA)
California Coalition on Workers Compensation
Public Risk Innovation, Solutions, and Management (PRISM)
Analysis Prepared by: Paul Riches / INS. / (916) 319-2086
SENATE RULES COMMITTEE Office of Senate Floor Analyses (916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) 327-4478 | SB 8 |
THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 8
Author: Ashby (D)
Amended: 3/27/25
Vote: 21
SENATE LABOR, PUB. EMP. & RET. COMMITTEE: 5-0, 3/26/25
AYES: Smallwood-Cuevas, Strickland, Cortese, Durazo, Laird
SUBJECT: Peace officers: injury or illness: leaves of absence
SOURCE: Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employees Union
DIGEST:
This bill extends ‘4850 leave,’ a limited paid leave of absence of up to one year, to park rangers in Sacramento County who experience a work-related injury or illness.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
- Establishes a comprehensive system of workers' compensation that provides a range of benefits for an employee who suffers from an injury or illness that arises out of and in the course of employment, regardless of fault. This system requires all employers to insure payment of benefits by either securing the consent of the Department of Industrial Relations to self-insure or by obtaining insurance from a company authorized by the state. (Labor Code §§3200-6002)
- Establishes within the workers’ compensation system temporary disability indemnity and permanent disability indemnity, which offer wage replacement equal to two-thirds of a specified injured employee’s average weekly earnings while an employee is unable to work due to a workplace illness or injury. The current minimum benefit is $252.03 per week and the maximum is $1,680.29 per week.[1] (Labor Code §§4653-4656)
- Provides that specified public law enforcement employees who are employed on a regular full-time basis, regardless of their period of services, and who experience a work-related injury or illness, are entitled to an enhanced temporary disability benefit: paid leave of absence of up to one year instead of workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity. This is referred to as “4850 leave.” If the employee retires on permanent disability, they may receive 4850 leave until they obtain a permanent disability pension. Employees eligible for 4850 leave are:
- City police officers.
- City, county, or district firefighters.
- Sheriffs.
- Officers or employees of any sheriff’s offices.
- Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorney’s office.
- County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
- Officers or employees of a probation office.
- Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
- Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
- Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
- Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
- Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District. (Labor Code §4850)
- Excludes city police officers, or city, county, or district firefighters employed by the City and County of San Francisco from the provisions of 4850 leave. (Labor Code §4850)
- Provides the following employees up to one year paid leave of absence while disabled as a result of injury incurred during work, instead of workers’ compensation disability payments:
- Peace officers and firefighters of the Department of Justice, law enforcement officers employed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and harbor police officers employed by the San Francisco Port Commission (Labor Code §4800);
- Sworn members of the California Highway Patrol who become disabled by a single injury, excluding disabilities that are the result of cumulative trauma or cumulative injuries (Labor Code §4800.5);
- Firefighting and prevention service members of a University of California fire department (Labor Code §4804.1);
- Law enforcement at the University of California Police Department (Labor Code §4806) and;
- CalFIRE employees (Bargaining Unit 8). If the injury is a severe burn as determined by the director, the CalFIRE employee is provided up to three years of paid leave of absence as a result of injury incurred during work, instead of workers’ compensation disability payments. (Labor Code §4811)
- Provides that the following persons are peace officers, as specified, and are therefore entitled to 4850 leave:
- Police officers of Los Angeles County, as defined;
- A person designated by a local agency as a park ranger who is regularly employed and paid in that capacity, if the primary duty is the protection of park and other property of the agency and the preservation of the peace therein;
- A peace officer of the Department of General Services of the City of Los Angeles, as defined.
- A housing authority patrol officer employed by the housing authority of a city, district, county, or city and county, or employed by the police department of a city and county, as defined. (Penal Code §830.31)
This bill extends ‘4850 leave,’ a limited paid leave of absence of up to one year, to park rangers in Sacramento County who experience a work-related injury or illness.
Background
Workers Compensation. Workers’ compensation temporary disability (TD) indemnity benefits are payments injured employees get if they lose wages due to a work-related injury that prevents them from doing their usual job while recovering. Injured employees are entitled to TD benefits equal to two-thirds of their average weekly wages. Replacing two-thirds of wages during the period an employee is off work is designed to make the employee whole, since workers’ compensation benefits are not subject to social security or income taxes. TD benefits are capped at $1,680.29 per week, so employees with higher wages may not receive two-thirds their salary, but because the benefit is not taxed, employees generally receive an adequate disability benefit while they are recovering.
Purpose of 4850 leave. Certain public safety classifications receive workers’ compensation benefits that other employees do not receive, including “4850 leave,” which grants up to one year of full salary instead of the regular method for calculating temporary disability benefits. Because these benefits are paid due to disability, they are not subject to either state or federal taxes. Subsequently, the injured peace officer takes home more in weekly benefits than they normally would earn while working. Once 4850 leave benefits are exhausted, if the employee is still temporarily disabled, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation TD. In most cases, TD will not be paid beyond 104 weeks.
Park rangers in Sacramento County. Park rangers who obtain peace officer’s standards training, among various other duties, provide public safety services at California’s parks and other public properties and are often the first responders for medical, fire, and other emergencies. For instance, Sacramento park rangers have the same level of authority as a county sheriff or a city police officer and have completed extensive training at the Sheriff's Academy. They enforce Regional Parks-specific county ordinances and California Vehicle, Penal and Health and Safety Codes within all County Regional Parks. According to the author, “Sacramento County park rangers have made over 633 arrests this year alone, including 171 felony arrests. In fact, some counties rely on deputy sheriffs or police officers to fill their park ranger positions.” Currently, only park rangers in Los Angeles County are afforded 4850 benefits.
County Classifications. Current law affords park rangers in the county of the first class 4850 benefits. But what is the county of first class? Government Code Section 28020 specifies that “the population of the counties of this state is hereby ascertained and determined to be and is as follows:” It provides a chart in statute that lists the 58 counties and ranks them from highest population to lowest population. This list is based on outdated data. Los Angeles County is ranked first with a population of just over seven million individuals. Alpine County is listed last with a population of 484 individuals.
Although the population size has changed, Government Code Section 28085 states “whenever a new federal census is taken, the counties are not by operation of law reclassified under such census, but remain in the old classification until reclassified by the Legislature.” In this case, Labor Code Section 4850 uses the phrase ‘county of first class’ when referring to Los Angeles County. This bill specifies that 4850 leave will be expanded to park rangers in Sacramento County, or a county of the eighth class, as consistent with exiting law.
Related/Prior Legislation
SB 1058 (Ashby, 2024) would have granted existing enhanced paid leave of absence provision, commonly referred to as 4850 leave benefits to all park rangers employed on a regular full-time basis by a county or special districts. The bill was vetoed.
AB 346 (Cooper, 2019) would have granted 4850 leave benefits to police officers employed by a school district, county office of education, or community college district. The bill was vetoed.
AB 2047 (Chávez, 2018) was identical to AB 1451 (Chávez, 2015). The bill was held in the Assembly Insurance Committee.
AB 1451 (Chávez, 2015) would have extended 4850 leave to lifeguards employed year-round on a regular, full-time basis by the City of Oceanside. The bill was vetoed.
SB 559 (Block, 2015) would have authorized 4850 leave for specified lifeguards employed by the City of Imperial Beach. The bill was held in the Assembly Insurance Committee.
SB 527 (Block, Chapter 66, Statutes of 2013) extended 4850 leave to full-time lifeguards employed by the City of San Diego.
AB 2397 (Solorio, 2010) would have authorized a public agency and a peace officer to mutually agree to extend a leave of absence with full pay applicable to the public safety officer injured on the job beyond the one year authorized by law for up to one additional year. The bill was vetoed.
AB 1227 (Feuer, Chapter 389, Statutes of 2009) removed the requirement that safety officers can only be eligible for 4850 leave if they belong to a public retirement system and instead only required that the safety officers be employed on a regular, full-time basis.
AB 419 (Lieber, 2007) was essentially identical to AB 1227 (Feuer, 2009). The bill was vetoed.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No
SUPPORT: (Verified 3/26/25)
Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employees Union (Source)
California Fraternal Order of Police
Pat Hume, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 5
Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association
Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office
Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy
Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond
OPPOSITION: (Verified 3/26/25)
California Association of Joint Powers Authorities
California Coalition on Workers Compensation
Public Risk Innovation, Solutions, and Management
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: According to the sponsor, Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employee Union (SCCJEU):
This bill extends workers’ compensation and disability protection to the Sacramento County Park Rangers who are California peace officers employed on a regular, full-time basis by Sacramento County. SCCJEU oversees a variety of county peace officers in Sacramento County, including park rangers, whose duties often times overlap with those of law enforcement and other peace officer entities who are already rightfully afforded these protections. Extending these protections to Sacramento County Park Rangers ensures parity across the state and protects many of these frontline workers.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION: A coalition of groups that oppose this bill, including the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities, writes:
We oppose this expansion of salary continuation benefits as proposed by SB 8 because no objective evidence has been offered to demonstrate that this enhanced benefit is necessary, and there has been no evaluation of the cost. Local agencies typically fund workers’ compensation costs out of their general fund, and every dollar spent on special enhanced benefits must come from somewhere. Funding for the special benefits proposed by SB 8 will come out of local government budgets, and our coalition would respectfully urge the legislature to fully examine both the justification and cost related to the proposal. Prior legislation that similarly expanded application of this benefit has been met with caution. Specifically, AB 346 (Cooper, 2019) expanded the application of salary continuation benefits to officers at local school districts and county offices of education. That bill was vetoed by Governor Newsom, who observed that the bill ‘would significantly expand 4850 benefits that can be negotiated locally through the collective bargaining process.’ Similarly, in 2024 Governor Newsom vetoed SB 1058 (Ashby), a version of SB 8 that would have applied statewide, once again noting that the bill would have local fiscal impacts and that this could be negotiated locally through collective bargaining. We believe the same logic applies here.
Prepared by: Jazmin Marroquin / L., P.E. & R. / (916) 651-1556
3/27/25 15:57:58
DWC Announces Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2025, State of California Department of Industrial Relations, October 16, 2024, https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2024/2024-90.html ↑
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT AND RETIREMENT
Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, Chair
2025 - 2026 Regular
Bill No: SB 8 Hearing Date: March 26, 2025
Author: | Ashby | ||
Version: | December 2, 2024 | ||
Urgency: | No | Fiscal: | No |
Consultant: | Jazmin Marroquin | ||
SUBJECT: Peace officers: injury or illness: leaves of absence
KEY ISSUE
This bill adds park rangers in Sacramento County who experience a work-related injury or illness to the list of employees eligible for a limited paid leave of absence of up to one year, also known as ‘4850 leave,’ instead of workers’ compensation temporary disability benefits.
ANALYSIS
Existing law:
- Establishes a comprehensive system of workers' compensation that provides a range of benefits for an employee who suffers from an injury or illness that arises out of and in the course of employment, regardless of fault. This system requires all employers to insure payment of benefits by either securing the consent of the Department of Industrial Relations to self-insure or by obtaining insurance from a company authorized by the state. (Labor Code §§3200-6002)
- Establishes within the workers’ compensation system temporary disability indemnity and permanent disability indemnity, which offer wage replacement equal to two-thirds of a specified injured employee’s average weekly earnings while an employee is unable to work due to a workplace illness or injury. The current minimum benefit is $252.03 per week and the maximum is $1,680.29 per week.[1] (Labor Code §§4653-4656)
- Provides that specified public law enforcement employees who are employed on a regular full-time basis, regardless of their period of services, and who experience a work-related injury or illness, are entitled to an enhanced temporary disability benefit: paid leave of absence of up to one year instead of workers’ compensation temporary disability indemnity. This is referred to as “4850 leave.” If the employee retires on permanent disability, they may receive 4850 leave until they obtain a permanent disability pension. Employees eligible for 4850 leave are:
- City police officers.
- City, county, or district firefighters.
- Sheriffs.
- Officers or employees of any sheriff’s offices.
- Inspectors, investigators, detectives, or personnel with comparable titles in any district attorney’s office.
- County probation officers, group counselors, or juvenile services officers.
- Officers or employees of a probation office.
- Peace officers under Section 830.31 of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class.
- Lifeguards employed year round on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the first class or by the City of San Diego.
- Airport law enforcement officers under subdivision (d) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
- Harbor or port police officers, wardens, or special officers of a harbor or port district or city or county harbor department under subdivision (a) of Section 830.1 or subdivision (b) of Section 830.33 of the Penal Code.
- Police officers of the Los Angeles Unified School District. (Labor Code §4850)
- Excludes city police officers, or city, county, or district firefighters employed by the City and County of San Francisco from the provisions of 4850 leave. (Labor Code §4850)
- Similarly provides the following employees up to one year paid leave of absence while disabled as a result of injury incurred during work, instead of workers’ compensation disability payments:
- Peace officers and firefighters of the Department of Justice, law enforcement officers employed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and harbor police officers employed by the San Francisco Port Commission (Labor Code §4800);
- Sworn members of the California Highway Patrol who become disabled by a single injury, excluding disabilities that are the result of cumulative trauma or cumulative injuries (Labor Code §4800.5);
- Firefighting and prevention service members of a University of California fire department (Labor Code §4804.1);
- Law enforcement at the University of California Police Department (Labor Code §4806) and;
- CalFIRE employees (Bargaining Unit 8). If the injury is a severe burn as determined by the director, the CalFIRE employee is provided up to three years of paid leave of absence as a result of injury incurred during work, instead of workers’ compensation disability payments. (Labor Code §4811)
- Provides that the following persons are peace officers, as specified, and are therefore entitled to 4850 leave:
- Police officers of Los Angeles County, as defined;
- A person designated by a local agency as a park ranger who is regularly employed and paid in that capacity, if the primary duty is the protection of park and other property of the agency and the preservation of the peace therein;
- A peace officer of the Department of General Services of the City of Los Angeles, as defined.
- A housing authority patrol officer employed by the housing authority of a city, district, county, or city and county, or employed by the police department of a city and county, as defined. (Penal Code §830.31)
This bill:
- This bill adds park rangers in Sacramento County who experience a work-related injury or illness to the list of regular, full-time employees eligible for a limited paid leave of absence of up to one year instead of workers’ compensation temporary disability benefits.
- This bill makes legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for park rangers employed in the County of Sacramento.
COMMENTS
- Background
Workers Compensation
Workers’ compensation temporary disability (TD) indemnity benefits are payments injured employees get if they lose wages due to a work-related injury that prevents them from doing their usual job while recovering. Injured employees are entitled to TD benefits equal to two-thirds of their average weekly wages. Replacing two-thirds of wages during the period an employee is off work is designed to make the employee whole, since workers’ compensation benefits are not subject to social security or income taxes. TD benefits are capped at $1,680.29 per week, so employees with higher wages may not receive two-thirds their salary, but because the benefit is not taxed, employees generally receive an adequate disability benefit while they are recovering.
Purpose of 4850 leave
Certain public safety classifications receive workers’ compensation benefits that other employees do not receive, including “4850 leave,” which grants up to one year of full salary instead of the regular method for calculating temporary disability benefits. Because these benefits are paid due to disability, they are not subject to either state or federal taxes. Subsequently, the injured peace officer takes home more in weekly benefits than they normally would earn while working. Once 4850 leave benefits are exhausted, if the employee is still temporarily disabled, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation TD. In most cases, TD will not be paid beyond 104 weeks.
Park rangers in Sacramento County
Park rangers who obtain peace officer’s standards training, among various other duties, provide public safety services at California’s parks and other public properties and are often the first responders for medical, fire, and other emergencies. For instance, Sacramento park rangers have the same level of authority as a county sheriff or a city police officer and have completed extensive training at the Sheriff's Academy. They enforce Regional Parks-specific county ordinances and California Vehicle, Penal and Health and Safety Codes within all County Regional Parks. According to the author, “Sacramento County park rangers have made over 633 arrests this year alone, including 171 felony arrests. In fact, some counties rely on deputy sheriffs or police officers to fill their park ranger positions.”
Currently, only park rangers in Los Angeles County are afforded 4850 benefits.
- Need for this bill?
According to the author:
“Despite county and special district park rangers across the state performing a number of peace officer duties and oftentimes facing similar risks, they are not given the same workers’ compensation and disability protections granted to other law enforcement agencies under the California Labor Code.
Currently, only Los Angeles County’s park rangers receive worker’s compensation and disability protections. The reason for that is due to language in the Labor Code specifying population, LA County is the only county that qualifies for these protections.
Further emphasizing both the overlap in responsibilities and disparity in protections, Sacramento County park rangers have made over 633 arrests this year alone, including 171 felony arrests. In fact, some counties rely on deputy sheriffs or police officers to fill their park ranger positions.”
- Staff Comments
Current law affords park rangers in the county of the first class 4850 benefits. But what is the county of first class?
Government Code Section 28020 specifies that “the population of the counties of this state is hereby ascertained and determined to be and is as follows:” It provides a chart in statute that lists the 58 counties and ranks them from highest population to lowest population. This list is based on outdated data. Los Angeles County is ranked first with a population of just over seven million individuals. Alpine County is listed last with a population of 484 individuals.
Although the population size has changed, Government Code Section 28085 states that “whenever a new federal census is taken, the counties are not by operation of law reclassified under such census, but remain in the old classification until reclassified by the Legislature.”
In this case, Labor Code Section 4850 uses the phrase ‘county of first class’ when referring to Los Angeles County. In order to stay uniform and consistent throughout existing code, the author may wish to make a technical amendment to the bill to specify that 4850 leave will be expanded to park rangers in Sacramento County, or a county of the eighth class, as suggested below.
Labor Code 4850 (b) (13) Park rangers of the County of Sacramento. Peace officers under Section 830.31 (b) of the Penal Code employed on a regular, full-time basis by a county of the eighth class.
4. Proponent Arguments
According to the sponsors, Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employee Union (SCCJEU):
“This bill extends workers’ compensation and disability protection to the Sacramento County Park Rangers who are California peace officers employed on a regular, full-time basis by Sacramento County.
SCCJEU oversees a variety of county peace officers in Sacramento County, including park rangers, whose duties often times overlap with those of law enforcement and other peace officer entities who are already rightfully afforded these protections. Extending
these protections to Sacramento County Park Rangers ensures parity across the state and protects many of these frontline workers.”
5. Opponent Arguments:
A coalition of groups that oppose this bill, including the California Association of Joint Powers Authorities, writes:
“We oppose this expansion of salary continuation benefits as proposed by SB 8 because no objective evidence has been offered to demonstrate that this enhanced benefit is necessary, and there has been no evaluation of the cost. Local agencies typically fund workers’ compensation costs out of their general fund, and every dollar spent on special enhanced benefits must come from somewhere. Funding for the special benefits proposed by SB 8 will come out of local government budgets, and our coalition would respectfully urge the legislature to fully examine both the justification and cost related to the proposal.
Prior legislation that similarly expanded application of this benefit has been met with caution. Specifically, AB 346 (Cooper, 2019) expanded the application of salary continuation benefits to officers at local school districts and county offices of education. That bill was vetoed by Governor Newsom, who observed that the bill ‘would significantly expand 4850 benefits that can be negotiated locally through the collective bargaining process.’ Similarly, in 2024 Governor Newsom vetoed SB 1058 (Ashby), a version of SB 8 that would have applied statewide, once again noting that the bill would have local fiscal impacts and that this could be negotiated locally through collective bargaining. We believe the same logic applies here.”
6. Prior Legislation:
SB 1058 (Ashby, 2024, Vetoed) would have granted existing enhanced paid leave of absence provision, commonly referred to as 4850 leave benefits to all park rangers employed on a regular full-time basis by a county or special districts. This bill, SB 8, narrows the expansion to only park rangers in Sacramento County. This bill was vetoed. In his veto message, Governor Newsom stated:
“While I appreciate the author's intent and do not take lightly the important public service provided by park rangers, this bill would significantly expand 4850 benefits that can be negotiated locally through the collective bargaining process. Many local governments face financial stress, and the addition of a well-intentioned but costly benefit should be left to local entities, particularly given the potential fiscal impact on counties and special districts that employ park rangers. For this reason, I cannot sign this bill.”
AB 346 (Cooper, 2019, Vetoed) would have granted 4850 leave benefits to police officers employed by a school district, county office of education, or community college district. This bill was vetoed.
AB 2047 (Chávez, 2018) was identical to AB 1451 (Chávez, 2015). This bill was held in the Assembly Committee on Insurance.
AB 1451 (Chávez, 2015, Vetoed) would have extended 4850 leave to lifeguards employed year-round on a regular, full-time basis by the City of Oceanside. This bill was vetoed. In his veto message, Governor Brown stated:
“Recent data indicates public employers' costs related to this disability leave benefit have increased at an alarming rate. These cost figures give me pause to extend this benefit further in state law. If the City of Oceanside wishes to offer full salary in lieu of temporary disability for one year to their regular full-time lifeguards, they are free to do so by means of the collective bargaining process. Eligibility for this benefit is best left to the City of Oceanside, not the state, to determine.”
SB 559 (Block, 2015) would have authorized 4850 leave for specified lifeguards employed by the City of Imperial Beach. This bill was held in the Assembly Committee on Insurance.
SB 527 (Block, Chapter 66, Statutes of 2013) extended 4850 leave to full-time lifeguards employed by the City of San Diego.
AB 2397 (Solorio, 2010, Vetoed) would have authorized a public agency and a peace officer to mutually agree to extend a leave of absence with full pay applicable to the public safety officer injured on the job beyond the one year authorized by law for up to one additional year. This bill was vetoed. In his veto message, Governor Schwarzenegger stated:
“I appreciate and value the duties of public servants who perform difficult and dangerous tasks that risk their lives. However, as we have seen with the current pension crisis, there is often an inclination to add special benefits and compensation to unsustainable levels. I am unwilling to facilitate this lack of fiscal responsibility by creating potentially new costs for public entities administering the public's money.”
AB 1227 (Feuer, Chapter 389, Statutes 2009) removed the requirement that safety officers can only be eligible for 4850 leave if they belong to a public retirement system and instead only required that the safety officers be employed on a regular, full-time basis.
AB 419 (Lieber, 2007, Vetoed) was essentially identical to AB 1227 (Feuer, 2009). This bill was vetoed.
SUPPORT
Sacramento County Criminal Justice Employees Union (Sponsor)
California Fraternal Order of Police
PAT Hume, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 5
Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association
Sacramento County District Attorney
Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy
Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond
OPPOSITION
California Association of Joint Powers Authorities
California Coalition on Workers Compensation
Public Risk Innovation, Solutions, and Management (PRISM)
-- END --
DWC Announces Temporary Total Disability Rates for 2025, State of California Department of Industrial Relations, October 16, 2024, https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2024/2024-90.html ↑
Discussed in Hearing
1MIN
Assembly Floor
5MIN
Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance
1MIN
Senate Floor
6MIN
Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Public Employment and Retirement
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):
