ARTICLE 4. Employment Selection and Advancement [71640. - 71645.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 4.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71640. Section 71640.

(a) As of the implementation date of this chapter, each trial court shall establish a trial court employment selection and advancement system which shall become the minimum selection and advancement system for all trial court employees and shall become part of the sole trial court employee personnel system. The trial court employment selection and advancement system shall replace any county employment selection and advancement systems applying to trial court employees prior to the implementation date as provided in this article, except as otherwise specified in this article. This article establishes minimum standards, and each trial court employment selection and advancement system shall, at a minimum, conform to the requirements of this article. (b) Until such time as a trial court establishes a trial court employment selection and advancement system as provided in this article, the minimum standards required pursuant to this article shall be the trial court employment selection and advancement system.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71641. Section 71641.

Each trial court shall develop personnel rules regarding hiring, promotion, transfer, and classification. Trial courts shall meet and confer in good faith with representatives of the recognized employee organizations on those rules that cover matters within the scope of representation. However, nothing in this article is intended to expand the definition of matters within the scope of representation, as defined in Section 71634.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71642. Section 71642.

Hiring and promotion within a trial court shall be done in a nondiscriminatory manner based on job-related factors. Trial court personnel rules shall meet the following minimum standards: (a) Recruiting, selecting, transferring, and advancing employees shall be on the basis of their relative ability, knowledge, and skills. Initial appointment shall be through an open, competitive process. Preference shall be given to internal candidates. (b) Formal job-related selection processes are required when filling positions. (c) Each trial court shall have an equal employment opportunity policy applying to all applicants and employees in accordance with applicable state and federal law.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71643. Section 71643.

(a) The following positions are excluded from the competitive selection and promotion processes required by Section 71642: (1) Subordinate judicial officers. (2) Managerial, confidential, temporary, and limited-term positions in accordance with a trial court’s personnel policies, procedures, or plans, subject to meet and confer in good faith. (b) If managerial, confidential, temporary, and limited-term positions are defined for the purposes of competitive selection and promotion processes within a trial court as of the implementation date of this chapter, then that definition shall be maintained for those purposes until changed subject to meet and confer in good faith. If managerial, confidential, temporary, and limited-term positions are not defined for the purposes of competitive selection and promotion processes within a trial court as of the implementation date of this chapter, then the adoption of any such definition by the trial court shall be subject to meet and confer in good faith. (c) The exclusion of managerial, confidential, temporary, and limited term positions from required competitive selection and promotion processes shall not affect the employees’ right to representation. (d) Permanent or regular employees who assume limited term appointments or assignments to other positions or classes shall retain their permanent or regular status during and upon expiration of the limited term appointment or assignment.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71644. Section 71644.

Disputes between a trial court and its employees regarding the alleged misapplication, misinterpretation, or violation of the trial court’s rules enacted pursuant to Sections 71641 and 71642 governing hiring, promotion, transfer, and classification shall be resolved by binding arbitration.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 71645. Section 71645.

(a) On and after the implementation date of this chapter, this article shall become the employment, selection, and advancement system for all trial court employees within a trial court and shall become part of the sole trial court employee system, replacing any aspects of county employment, selection, and advancement systems applying to trial court employees prior to the implementation date of this chapter. (b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), the implementation date of this chapter for each trial court shall be the effective date of this chapter. (c) The representatives of the trial court and representatives of recognized employee organizations may mutually agree to a different implementation date. If the provisions in this article are governed by an existing memorandum of understanding or agreement covering trial court employees, as to such provisions, the implementation date shall be either the date a successor memorandum of understanding or agreement is effective or, if no agreement for a successor memorandum of understanding or agreement is reached, 90 days from the date of the expiration of the predecessor memorandum of understanding or agreement, unless representatives of the trial court and representatives of recognized employee organizations mutually agree otherwise.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026