Paul D. Knothe

Effective January 1, 2023, California law will require public employers to provide meal and rest periods to employees who provide or support direct patient care in a general acute care hospital, clinic, or public health setting.  Public employers should consult with legal counsel for advice on...

Please join us in congratulating Partner Paul Knothe for his recently aired KNX News Radio segment. Paul speaks on the effects of Senate Bill 2, which opens the door to Peace Officer decertification. Check out the full segment below:
document.createElement('video');...

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

While unlikely to affect the current ABC test governing Independent Contractor status under the California Labor Code, we can expect legal challenges from Gig Economy employers.
On October 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a proposed rule to rescind and revise the regulations...

On October 25, 2022, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges released revisions to Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations related to Campus Climate and Public Safety to the Secretary of State.  These revised regulations, found in Sections 59700 through 59704, will take...

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

Partner Geoff Sheldon and attorney Paul Knothe authored an insightful article titled “For The Record” that addresses SB16 and the laws surrounding The Freedom of Information Act. Agencies in California are strongly advised to work closely with their legal advisors to ensure they are complying with...

For decades, California’s peace officer personnel record confidentiality laws have provided the some of the most robust protections for officer personnel records in the nation.  In recent years, however, public opinion has shifted in favor of transparency and accountability – especially with...

AB 89, also known as the Peace Officers Education and Age Conditions for Employment, or “PEACE” Act, went into effect on January 1, 2022.
The most straightforward piece of that legislation was Government Code section 1031.4, which raises the minimum age for most peace officer employment from 18 to...

Partner Geoff Sheldon and Associate Paul Knothe authored the article “Awaiting Guidance On Calif. Peace Officer Bias Screenings” for Law360.  The article discusses AB846, which added a requirement to the preemployment process for peace officers, mandating that they be screened for bias...

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

Partner Geoffrey S. Sheldon and Associate Paul D. Knothe weighed in SB 16,  new legislation that further expands SB 1421 and what types of peace officer personnel records can be publicly accessible in their Jan. 5 Daily Journal article, “SB 16: Expands Public Access to Police Officer...

On September 30, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 846 requiring, among other things, that the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) update the regulations regarding pre-employment screening for mental and emotional conditions to also identify explicit and implicit biases...

LCW Partners Mark Meyerhoff, Morin Jacob and Associate Paul Knothe penned “Free Speech in the Age of Facebook” for the July/August 2021 issue of Sheriff & Deputy Magazine. In the piece, the attorneys address the importance of developing and enacting updated agency social media policies that...

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

We are excited to announce a new video series designed especially to serve our public safety clients. Our short Public Safety Video Briefings will tackle cutting-edge issues and core principles relevant to public safety employers. We hope you find these videos useful and thought-provoking.

This...

All California peace officers must meet initial standards set by the Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training (POST).  Those standards have recently been expanded, and more change may be coming.
AB 846, effective January 1, 2021, modified Government Code section 1031 to require that a...

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away from complications from pancreatic cancer on Friday, September 18, 2020.  Justice Ginsburg inspired millions and became a beloved icon in a way that is truly uncommon for a jurist.  She was the subject of a documentary, a biopic, and an opera. ...

While skies all over California were turned strange colors by fire and smoke on September 11, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2147 into law. Passed by a 51-12 majority in the Assembly and a unanimous 30-0 vote in the Senate, this law creates new Penal Code section 1203.4b, designed to make it...

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, law enforcement professionals bravely continue to perform their duties and come in regular contact with the public, potentially exposing themselves to the virus.  Concerned for the safety of their officers and the communities they serve, law enforcement agencies...

A fever, which is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as 100.4°F/38°C or higher, is a symptom and key indicator of COVID-19.  Many employers, including law enforcement agencies, are already taking or are considering taking employees’ temperatures before allowing them to...

With cities and counties scrambling to develop and deploy emergency plans in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, demands from employee organizations to meet and confer are increasing.  This fact sheet is offered to answer frequently asked questions regarding the duty to bargain and provide...

In 2006, activist Tarana Burke wrote of her experience in which she felt that she failed a young girl who reported a sexual assault to her.  Burke did not feel prepared to assist the girl, and sent her to see another counselor.  Burke regretted not telling the girl, “me too.”
Eleven years later, in...

This article highlights two laws passed this year by California’s Legislature that have profound impact on police officers – Assembly Bill 392 and Senate Bill 230. These laws become effective January 1, 2020. AB 392 amends Penal Code Section 192 and 835a and updates the standards under which police...

California has statutorily prohibited unequal pay on the basis of sex since 1949.  As a previous blog post explained, that law was amended in 2016 to formally change the standard for equal pay claims based on sex.  Instead of requiring equal pay for “equal” work, the statute now requires equal pay...