Bill > SB485

This bill modifies the existing law regarding the appointment and removal of county public defenders in California. Currently, public defenders could serve at the will of the board of supervisors, but the bill changes this by stipulating that a public defender can only be removed by a three-fifths vote of the board of supervisors, and only for specific reasons such as neglect of duty, malfeasance, misconduct, or other good cause. The bill explicitly states that this change does not exempt public defenders from the county's standard performance evaluation process for department heads. Additionally, the bill includes a provision that if the Commission on State Mandates determines the bill imposes state-mandated costs, those costs will be reimbursed to local agencies and school districts according to existing statutory procedures. This legislation aims to provide more job protection and stability for county public defenders while maintaining accountability through performance evaluations and a high threshold for removal.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs, Justice

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB485