Section 3523 - Meet and confer proposals presented at public meeting, public record(a) All initial meet and confer proposals of recognized employee organizations shall be presented to the employer at a public meeting, and such proposals thereafter shall be a public record. All initial meet and confer proposals or counterproposals of the employer shall be presented to the recognized employee organization at a public meeting, and such proposals or counterproposals thereafter shall be a public record.
(b) Except in cases of emergency as provided in subdivision (d), no meeting and conferring shall take place on any proposal subject to subdivision (a) until not less than seven consecutive days have elapsed to enable the public to become informed, and to publicly express itself regarding the proposals, as well as regarding other possible subjects of meeting and conferring and thereafter, the employer shall, in open meeting, hear public comment on all matters related to the meet and confer proposals.(c) Forty-eight hours after any proposal which includes any substantive subject which has not first been presented as proposals for public reaction pursuant to this section is offered during any meeting and conferring session, such proposals and the position, if any, taken thereon by the representatives of the employer, shall be a public record.(d) Subdivision (b) shall not apply when the employer determines that, due to an act of God, natural disaster, or other emergency or calamity affecting the state, and which is beyond the control of the employer or recognized employee organization, it must meet and confer and take action upon such a proposal immediately and without sufficient time for the public to become informed and to publicly express itself. In such cases the results of such meeting and conferring shall be made public as soon as reasonably possible.Amended by Stats. 1978, Ch. 776.