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AB-2134 • 2026

City council members: absences without permission.

City council members: absences without permission.

Children
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Addis
Last action
2026-03-17
Official status
Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide specific details on the number of days allowed for parental leave or changes to public access to city council meetings.

City Council Members: Absences Without Permission

AB-2134 changes city council rules about absences and excludes parental leave from counting against the number of allowed absences.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes existing laws to ensure cities cannot refuse permission when a city council member wants time off for parental leave.
  • Excludes parental leave from being counted in the total number of days a council member can be absent before their position is considered vacant.
  • Prohibits cities from requiring public hearings where council members must ask for approval for their parental leave.

Who It Names or Affects

  • City council members who need time off for parental reasons.
  • Cities and city councils that have rules about how many days a council member can be absent without permission.

Terms To Know

Parental leave
Time off from work given to parents after the birth or adoption of a child.
Vacancy
An empty position on a city council when a member leaves before their term ends.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how many days of parental leave are allowed.
  • It is unclear if there will be any changes to the public's access to city council meetings or documents as a result of this bill.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-17 California Legislative Information

    Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  2. 2026-03-16 California Legislative Information

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. Read second time and amended.

  3. 2026-03-16 California Legislative Information

    Referred to Com. on L. GOV.

  4. 2026-02-19 California Legislative Information

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

  5. 2026-02-18 California Legislative Information

    Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 2134, as amended, Addis.
City council members: absences without permission.
Existing law provides that if a city council member is absent without permission from all regular city council meetings for a specified number of days from the last regular meeting they attended, their office becomes vacant and shall be filled as any other vacancy.
This bill would
make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
prohibit a city from refusing permission for a council member to take absences for parental leave and would exclude parental leave from counting toward the number of allowed absences allotted to each council member. The bill would prohibit a city from requiring a council member to request approval for their parental leave at a public hearing.
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.
Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Download Bill PDF