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California · 2025–26 Regular Session · Senate Bill

SB 521: Public employment: disqualification.

Enacted Official data

  1. Introduced
  2. In committee
  3. Passed one chamber
  4. Passed both chambers
  5. Enacted

Last official action: ·Record last updated:

Plain-language summary

SB 521 is a senate bill introduced in the California Senate on February 19, 2025. According to its official title, it concerns: Public employment: disqualification. Primary sponsor: Lena Gonzalez (D). It lists 1 additional sponsor. Most recent recorded action (July 30, 2025): Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 92, Statutes of 2025.

Generated automatically from the official title, sponsor list, and status record only. It does not characterize the bill’s purpose or effects. How summaries are written

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law disqualifies a public employee, as defined, from any public employment for 5 years if the employee is convicted of any felony involving accepting or giving, or offering to give, a bribe, the embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit any of those crimes arising directly out of their official duties.

This bill would expand that provision to include any felony involving a conflict of interest. The bill would also disqualify a city manager or city attorney, as defined, including an individual acting under contract with the city for those services, who is convicted of any of the above-described felonies, from any future public employment in an equivalent role.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 2

NameRolePartyChamberDistrict
Lena GonzalezPrimary sponsorDemocraticSenate33
Jesse ArreguínCo-sponsorDemocraticSenate7

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 92, Statutes of 2025.
  2. Approved by the Governor.
  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 11 a.m.
  4. In Senate. Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
  5. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 2539.) Ordered to the Senate.
  6. Read second time. Ordered to consent calendar.
  7. From committee: Do pass. Ordered to consent calendar. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (July 2).
  8. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (June 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
  9. Coauthors revised.
  10. Referred to Com. on P. E. & R.
  11. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
  12. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 1050.) Ordered to the Assembly.

Sources

  1. California Legislative Information — pubinfo database export
  2. Official bill page