Ethics, Fiscal and Harassment Prevention, OH MY! – Elected and Appointed Officeholders’ Requisite Trainings

Most elected or appointed officeholders of local public agencies – board members and directors, councilmembers, commissioners, etc. –  are required to take, and remain up-to-date, on certain matters due to their leadership roles and responsibilities. These requirements help ensure they remain aware of legal obligations, potential liabilities, and ensuring sound governance practices and implementing steps to prevent issues while maintaining compliance. These matters are covered in requisite trainings commonly referred to as: 

• AB 1234 Ethics Training
• Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training
• SB 827 Fiscal and Financial Training

Best Best & Krieger LLP (BBK) offers these trainings to public agencies, officeholders, and employees covering the topics required by law, as well as provides insight into preventative and educational legal issues and trends. The courses are interactive and can be presented onsite, via live webinar or, on-demand and accessible here. 

Elected and Appointed Officeholders’ Requisite Trainings

• AB 1234 Ethics Training
  • This training must be taken within six months of taking office and every two years after.
  • This training is two hours and covers open meeting laws like the Public Records Act and Brown Act, conflicts of interest under the Political Reform Act, Government Code section 1090, and common law, gift prohibitions, bias, anti-nepotism, and other ethics-related topics.
  • Attendees should be provided with a certificate of attendance. Provide a copy to your agency clerk or secretary, who must keep it for five years and provide a copy upon request. 
• Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention Training
  • This training must be taken within six months of taking office and every two years after. 
  • This training is two hours and covers state and federal laws and regulations on harassment and discrimination, prevention, correction, reporting recommendations, and remedies available to victims. 
  • Attendees should be provided with a certificate of attendance. Provide a copy to your agency clerk or secretary, who must keep it for five years and provide a copy upon request. 
• SB 827 Fiscal Financial Training *NEW*
  • Effective January 1, 2026, this training must generally be taken every two years, but a public official who took office on or after January 1, 2026, must take it before July 1, 2026, while all others have two years to complete it. 
  • This training is two hours and covers financial oversight, budgeting, long-term planning, reporting/auditing, benefits, risk management, and stewardship of public resources as well as good accounting practices.
  • Attendees should be provided with a certificate of attendance. Provide a copy to your agency clerk or secretary, who must keep it for five years and provide a copy upon request. 

While not required, trainings focused on the following subjects are recommended to remain appraised of best practices before an issue arises. These distinct trainings could be tailored to fit into an agenda item at a regular meeting or given as a distinct, longer training, depending on the agency’s goals and needs. 

• Brown Act – This is a separate and distinct training focused on open meeting requirements and best practices; recommended given the ubiquity of the Brown Act while in public office and recent significant changes imposed by SB 707.
• Public Records Act – This is a separate and distinct training focused on steps to respond to a record request, the seriousness of good record keeping, personal device use, and reporting/responding to requests, and advice on best practices.
•  California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) – This training is focused on the basics of the environmental review process steps, timelines, and roles; especially recommended if the agency has many active development projects or challenging housing matters.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to BBK attorneys Nicholaus Norvel and Olivia Clark if you have any questions.

Disclaimer: BBK Legal Alerts are not intended as legal advice. Additional facts, facts specific to your situation, or future developments may affect subjects contained herein. Seek the advice of an attorney before acting or relying upon any information herein.