{"id":7409,"date":"2026-08-21T14:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7409"},"modified":"2026-08-21T14:37:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:37:03","slug":"bill-to-stop-nondisclosure-agreements-moves-to-gov-newsoms-desk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=7409","title":{"rendered":"Bill to stop nondisclosure agreements moves to Gov. Newsom’s desk"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A bill to prevent local elected officials from being bound by nondisclosure agreements involving public business is headed to the governor after passing the California Legislature without a single no vote.<\/p>\n

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Senate Bill 994, authored by Sen. Christopher Cabaldon, passed the Legislature Wednesday. The bill prohibits local government officials from signing nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from sharing information about public business with fellow board or council members.<\/p>\n

Cabaldon said the legislation was prompted by an NDA signed by Vacaville Mayor John Carli while Carli was considering information related to California Forever\u2019s efforts to bring Saronic Technologies\u2019 autonomous drone shipyard to its property in Solano County.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe signing of an NDA in Suisun exposed a loophole in the law,\u201d Cabaldon said.<\/p>\n

The episode centered on Saronic\u2019s exploration of a potential shipyard at Collinsville in southeastern Solano County. Carli, who is seeking a seat on the Solano County Board of Supervisors, acknowledged signing an NDA with Saronic as he sought information about the proposed project.<\/p>\n

The agreement drew criticism from opponents and community members, who argued that an elected official should not sign what they characterized as a \u201cgag order\u201d that could limit the sharing of information about a project with other elected officials or the public.<\/p>\n

Carli defended the agreement as necessary to become \u201cprivy to information\u201d that would allow him to evaluate the economic and national security implications of the proposed shipyard.<\/p>\n

Carli also pushed back against descriptions of the agreement as one with California Forever, saying in a statement that he \u201cdid not sign an NDA with California Forever, and California Forever does not own Saronic.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cSaronic is a shipbuilding company exploring a potential shipyard in Solano County,\u201d Carli said.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Carli responded to a request for comment on the bill saying, \u201cWhile I don\u2019t often agree with Senator Cabaldon on many issues, I too believe that local officials shouldn\u2019t use NDAs to keep their governing body or the public in the dark about public business.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Noting his comments that he signed an NDA with a third party, not California Forever, he said it was \u201cin order to visit their manufacturing facility\u201d and that the NDA was \u201cnarrowly limited to trade secrets and proprietary business information, exactly the kind of exemption SB 994 preserves, and it never restricted me from discussing public business with officials or constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carli said elected officials have a responsibility to remain objective about projects that could eventually come before local government for approval, adding that NDAs \u201cshould never block elected officials from communicating openly with thee people they serve.\u201d And he said he was glad to see that principle extended to local government.<\/p>\n

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Carli also took aim at Cabaldon.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the final days of the legislative session, it\u2019s disappointing that instead of addressing job creation or affordability, Senator Cabaldon is focused on non-disclosure agreements and continues to show he is out of touch with working families of Solano County.\u201d<\/p>\n

The proposed Saronic shipyard ultimately did not move forward in Solano County. The company later chose Brownsville, Texas, for its drone shipbuilding operation, bypassing the California Forever plan.<\/p>\n

Cabaldon\u2019s bill extends to local elected officials a restriction already in place for state lawmakers. Under SB 994, local officials cannot enter into an NDA that prevents them from sharing information concerning public business with other members of their governing body.<\/p>\n

\u201cFully informed decisions rely on transparency,\u201d Cabaldon said. \u201cWhen one official is silenced by a nondisclosure agreement, the rest of the board is left working with an incomplete picture, and communities pay the price for decisions made without all the facts. This bill makes sure that never happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

The legislation received unanimous support in every committee and floor vote in both the Senate and Assembly, according to Cabaldon\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

The bill is intended to ensure that local governing bodies have access to the same information when making decisions on matters of public business and that those decisions are made openly, his office noted.<\/p>\n

Read more California school board requires national anthem be performed at all home sports games<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The bill prohibits local government officials from signing nondisclosure agreements that prevent them from sharing information about public business with fellow board or council members.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBill to stop nondisclosure agreements moves to Gov. 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