Supreme Court of California

Senate Bill No. 402, requiring counties to submit to arbitration of economic issues arising during negotiation with firefighter or law enforcement unions, violates the California Constitution as it deprives a county of authority to provide for compensation of its employees, and delegates to a private body the power to interfere with county financial affairs and to perform a municipal function.

Appellate Information

• Decided 04/21/2003
• Published 04/21/2003

Judges

• CHIN, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  William C. Katzenstein, County Counsel, Robert M. Pepper, Principal Deputy County Counsel;  Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin, Steven L. Mayer and Kimberly A. Bliss, San Francisco, for Petitioners., JoAnne Speers, Sacramento, for League of California Cities as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioners., Kathleen Bales-Lange, County Counsel (Tulare), Teresa M. Saucedo, Deputy County Counsel;  J. Dennis Crabb, County Counsel (Alpine);  Bernard C. Barmann, Sr., County Counsel (Kern), Steven L. Sanders, Deputy County Counsel;  Alan K. Marks, County Counsel (San Bernardino), Carol A. Greene, Deputy County Counsel;  John J. Sansone, County Counsel (San Diego), Diane Bardsley, Assistant County Counsel;  and Frank O. Sieh, County Counsel (Ventura) for County of Tulare, County of Alpine, County of Kern, County of San Bernardino, County of San Diego and County of Ventura as Amici Curiae on behalf of Petitioners., Timothy A. Bittle for Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioners., Olins, Foerster & Hayes and Dennis J. Hayes, San Diego, for Real Party in Interest., Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Manuel M. Medeiros, State Solicitor General, Andrea Lynn Hoch, Chief Assistant Attorney General, Louis R. Mauro, Acting Assistant Attorney General, and Christopher E. Krueger, Deputy Attorney General, as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., Silver, Hadden & Silver, Stephen H. Silver, Santa Monica;  Carroll, Burdick & McDonough and Ronald Yank, San Francisco, for Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs' Association et al., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest.,  Olson, Hagel, Waters & Fishburn, Olson, Hagel & Fishburn, George Waters, N. Eugene Hill, Sacramento, Thomas E. Gauthier;  Woodley & McGillivary and Thomas A. Woodley for California Professional Firefighters, Peace Officers Research Association of California and International Association of Fire Fighters, AFL-CIO, C.L.C., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., Green & Shinee and Helen L. Schwab, Encino, for the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriff's, the Pasadena Police Officers Association, the Torrance Police Officers Association, the Glendale Police Officers Association, the Bell Police Officers Association and the West Covina Police Officers Association as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., Lackie & Dammeier, Dieter C. Dammeier, Rancho Cucamonga, and Michael A. Morguess for Los Angeles Police Protective League et al., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., Davis & Reno and Alan C. Davis for Daly City Firefighters, Local 1879, et al., as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest.


• For Appellees:
  
• No appearance for Respondent.