§ 1299.Legislative Findings and Declaration; Legislative Intent

Title 9.5. Arbitration of Firefighter and Law Enforcement Officer Labor Disputes · Enacted 2000 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 29, 2026

In one sentenceSection 1299 declares that firefighter and law enforcement strikes threaten public health and welfare, and states the Legislature's intent that this title's impasse arbitration procedure resolve labor disputes broadly across public employers while leaving discipline, collective bargaining scope, and community-policing policy untouched.

Full Text of § 1299

Text size

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that strikes taken by firefighters and law enforcement officers against public employers are a matter of statewide concern, are a predictable consequence of labor strife and poor morale that is often the outgrowth of substandard wages and benefits, and are not in the public interest. The Legislature further finds and declares that the dispute resolution procedures contained in this title provide the appropriate method for resolving public sector labor disputes that could otherwise lead to strikes by firefighters or law enforcement officers.

It is the intent of the Legislature to protect the health and welfare of the public by providing impasse remedies necessary to afford public employers the opportunity to safely alleviate the effects of labor strife that would otherwise lead to strikes by firefighters and law enforcement officers. It is further the intent of the Legislature that, in order to effectuate its predominant purpose, this title be construed to apply broadly to all public employers, including, but not limited to, charter cities, counties, and cities and counties in this state.

It is not the intent of the Legislature to alter the scope of issues subject to collective bargaining between public employers and employee organizations representing firefighters or law enforcement officers.

The provisions of this title are intended by the Legislature to govern the resolution of impasses reached in collective bargaining between public employers and employee organizations representing firefighters and law enforcement officers over economic issues that remain in dispute over their respective interests. However, the provisions of this title are not intended by the Legislature to be used as a procedure to determine the rights of any firefighter or law enforcement officer in any grievance initiated as a result of a disciplinary action taken by any public employer. The Legislature further intends that this title shall not apply to any law enforcement policy that pertains to how law enforcement officers interact with members of the public or pertains to police-community relations, such as policies on the use of police powers, enforcement priorities and practices, or supervision, oversight, and accountability covering officer behavior toward members of the public, to any community-oriented policing policy or to any process employed by an employer to investigate firefighter or law enforcement officer behavior that could lead to discipline against any firefighter or law enforcement officer, nor to contravene any provision of a charter that governs an employer that is a city, county, or city and county, which provision prescribes a procedure for the imposition of any disciplinary action taken against a firefighter or law enforcement officer.

End

Plain-English Summary

Firefighters and police officers cannot legally strike, yet the pressures that lead other workers to strike do not disappear just because a walkout is off the table. This section opens the title by explaining why the Legislature built a special arbitration process instead: strikes by these employees are a matter of statewide concern, often traceable to substandard pay and low morale, and this title's dispute resolution procedure is meant to head them off.

The Legislature wants that procedure applied broadly, reaching charter cities, counties, and cities and counties along with every other public employer, so that the same safety valve is available wherever the risk of labor strife exists. At the same time, the section is careful about what the title is not meant to do. It does not change what subjects are open to collective bargaining, and it is not a substitute for grievance procedures over discipline. It also stays out of law enforcement policy on how officers interact with the public, community-oriented policing, and internal investigations that could lead to discipline, and it does not override a charter's own disciplinary procedures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Legislature create this arbitration title for firefighters and law enforcement officers?

Because strikes by these employees are a matter of statewide concern and often result from unresolved pay and morale problems, and the Legislature wanted an impasse procedure that could head off strikes before they happen.

Does this title apply only to certain types of public employers?

No. The Legislature intended it to apply broadly, including to charter cities, counties, and cities and counties.

Does this title change what subjects are open to collective bargaining?

No. Section 1299 states that the Legislature does not intend to alter the scope of issues subject to collective bargaining.

Does this title cover discipline grievances or community-policing policy?

No. It expressly excludes discipline-related grievances, community-oriented policing policy, internal discipline investigations, and charter-based disciplinary procedures.

Amendment History

Added by Stats 2000 ch 906 (SB 402), s 2, eff. 1/1/2001.

Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Information. Enacted by the California Legislature. Last verified July 29, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: firefighter police strike arbitration californialegislative intent firefighter labor dispute arbitration