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.

HomePublic Utilities CodeDiv. 10Pt. 16Ch. 5Art. 3§ 105161 Pension Rights In Utility Acquisitions

§ 105161 Pension Rights In Utility Acquisitions

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

§ 105161 Pension Rights In Utility Acquisitions

This law says that if a government district buys a utility company (like water or electricity), the workers' pension plans must stay the same. The district has to pay for any pension costs when buying the company.

Key Takeaways

  • •If the government buys a utility company, workers keep their pensions.
  • •The government must pay for the pensions when buying the company.
  • •The pension details must be written into the purchase agreement.

Example

A city buys a private water company that has 50 workers with pensions.

The city must keep paying those workers' pensions just like the old company did. The cost of those pensions is part of the price the city pays to buy the company.

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

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 105161 Pension Rights In Utility Acquisitions

Whenever the district acquires existing facilities from a publicly or privately owned utility, either in proceedings in eminent domain or otherwise, that has a pension plan in operation, members and beneficiaries of the pension plan shall continue to have the rights, privileges, benefits, obligations, and status with respect to the established system. The outstanding obligations and liabilities of the public utility by reason of that pension plan shall be considered and taken into account and allowance made therefor in the purchase price of the public utility. The persons entitled to pension benefits as provided in this section and the benefits that are provided shall be specified in the agreement or order by which any public utility is acquired by the district. (Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 341, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 2003.)

Last verified: January 11, 2026

Key Terms

districtpension planoutstanding obligations and liabilitiespurchase priceagreement or order

Related Statutes

  • § 125541 Pension Plan Acquisition Rights
  • § 103421 Pension Rights In Utility Acquisitions
  • § 25054 Public Utility Pension Protection
  • § 28853 Public Utility Pension Protection
  • § 102240 District Property Acquisition Powers

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Public Utilities Code. Section 105161.
View Official Source