LawWiki
HomeCodesSearchGlossaryAPIAbout
LawWiki

Plain English summaries of California law with zero-hallucination AI. Every summary is verified against official source text.

Product

  • Search
  • Codes
  • About

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Disclaimer

© 2026 LawWiki. All rights reserved.

HomeGovernment CodeDiv. 3Pt. 2Ch. 5Art. 7§ 37606 Public Hospital Board Meetings

§ 37606 Public Hospital Board Meetings

Government Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 37606 Public Hospital Board Meetings

Key Takeaways

  • •Most meetings of the hospital board must be open to the public.
  • •The board can have secret meetings only to talk about special hospital business secrets that could lose the hospital money if shared too soon.
  • •The board cannot make decisions in secret meetings—they can only talk.
  • •Secret meetings are not allowed if the board is discussing selling the hospital, changing who owns it, or closing it down.

Example

A local hospital board wants to talk about a new plan to add a special wing for kids.

The board can have a secret meeting to talk about the plan if sharing it too early could hurt the hospital's money. But if they want to vote on it or talk about selling the hospital, they must do it in a public meeting where everyone can listen.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 37606 Public Hospital Board Meetings

(a) Except as provided in this section or Section 37624.3, all of the sessions of the board of trustees, whether regular or special, shall be open to the public, and a majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. (b) The board of trustees may order a meeting held solely for the purpose of discussion or deliberation, or both, of reports involving hospital trade secrets to be held in closed session. Except as provided in this subdivision, the closed session shall meet all applicable requirements of Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Division 2 of Title 5. (c) “Hospital trade secrets,” as used in this section, means a “trade secret,” as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3426.1 of the Civil Code, and which meets all of the following: (1) Is necessary to initiate a new hospital service or program or add a hospital facility. (2) Would, if prematurely disclosed, create a substantial probability of depriving the hospital of a substantial economic benefit. (d) The exception provided in subdivision (b) to the general open meeting requirements for a meeting of the board of trustees, shall not apply to a meeting where there is action taken, as defined in Section 54952.6. (e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the board of trustees to order a closed meeting for the purposes of discussing or deliberating, or to permit the discussion or deliberation in any closed meeting of, any proposals regarding: (1) The sale, conversion, contract for management, or leasing of any municipal hospital or the assets thereof, to any for-profit or nonprofit entity, agency, association, organization, governmental body, person, partnership, corporation, or hospital district. (2) The conversion of any municipal hospital to any other form of ownership by the city. (3) The dissolution of the municipal hospital. (Repealed and added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 72, Sec. 8. Effective May 28, 1992.)

Last verified: January 22, 2026

Key Terms

ownershiphospital trade secrets,dissolutionpartnershipcorporationfineportcontract

Related Statutes

  • § 37606.1 Municipal Hospital Trade Secrets
  • § 25549.20 County Condominium Joint Use
  • § 25515.1 County Property Development Authority
  • § 6523.4 Hospital Joint Powers Agreements
  • § 12599.2 Commercial Coventurer Definition

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Government Code. Section 37606.
View Official Source