(a) A local public officer, as defined in subdivision (b), who is convicted by a state or federal trial court of any felony under state or federal law for conduct arising out of, or in the performance of, his or her official duties shall forfeit any contract right or other common law, constitutional, or statutory claim against a local public agency employer to retirement or pension rights or benefits, however those benefits may be characterized, including lost compensation, other than the accrued rights and benefits to which he or she may be entitled under any public retirement system in which he or she is a member. The forfeiture provided by this section shall be in addition to, and independent of, any forfeiture of public retirement system rights and benefits pursuant to Section 7522.70, 7522.72, or 7522.74.

(b) For the purposes of this section, “local public officer” means a person, either elected or appointed, who exercised discretionary, executive authority in his or her employment.

Terms Used In California Government Code 53244

  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Person: includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, corporation, or company. See California Government Code 17
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.

(c) This section shall apply to any claim filed prior to the effective date of the act enacting this section, and still pending on that date, and any claim commenced after that date.

(d) Upon conviction, a local public officer as described in subdivision (a), and the prosecuting agency shall each notify the public employer who employed the local public officer at the time of the commission of the felony within 60 days of the felony conviction. The operation of this section is not dependent upon the performance of the notification required by this subdivision.

(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 775, Sec. 2. (SB 39) Effective October 12, 2013.)