Local agencies: public officers: claims and liability.

(1) Existing law provides for the governance of local agencies and specifically prescribes the rights and duties of their officers and employees. Existing law authorizes local agencies to establish retirement systems for the provision of pension benefits to officers and employees of the agencies and commits the administration of those systems to retirement boards. Existing law establishes a process for making claims on local agencies and excepts from that process applications for money or benefits from a public pension or retirement system. Existing law, the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013, requires the forfeiture of specified retirement benefits by an elected public officer or a public employee, as defined, if that officer or employee is convicted of a felony for conduct arising out of, or in the performance of, his or her official duties. This bill would require the forfeiture of a contractual, common law, constitutional, or statutory claim against a local public agency employer to retirement or pension rights or benefits, as specified, by a local public officer who exercised discretionary authority and who was convicted of a felony for conduct arising out of, or in the performance of, his or her official duties. The bill would also make a statement of findings. (2) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.