By virtue of its location in California's capitol, the Labor & Employment Law section of the Sacramento County Bar Association draws a diverse membership. The governmental influence of Sacramento adds a different angle to the traditional labor/management/neutral arrangement. In addition to the usual union and plaintiff's attorneys, management and defense counsel, and the assorted arbitrators and mediators, the section draws members from various state agencies and departments, as well as members from the offices of such hearing and regulatory bodies as the Public Employment Relations Board, the State Personnel Board and the Public Employees Retirement Board.

The mix of traditional labor and employment law issues with the business of government provides a unique opportunity for review of many unusual issues not generally encountered elsewhere. Many of the section's members also work for the governmental entities that develop and shape the labor and employment laws and regulations under which other section members practice. The government as the government and the government as employer have been fodder for many spirited discussions amongst section members.

In addition to the interest and debate sparked by the mix of section members because of their particular clients, the section also provides a forum for local labor and employment law practitioners to engage in educational activities and to advance the quality of practice. To that end, the section presents an annual half-day MCLE seminar. In the past, the seminars have featured such luminaries as National Labor Relations Board Chairman William Gould, the Honorable William B. Shubb, chief judge of the Eastern District of California, who presided over a mock trial, and another mock trial of an Americans with Disabilities Act issue presided over by the Honorable Milton Schwartz, senior judge of the Eastern District of California. Distinguished attorneys from the section provided key roles for the mock trials, including opening statements, examination of witnesses and closing arguments. The section has also presented more traditional educational programs involving discussions of the latest issues affecting labor and employment law.

Other educational services include monthly luncheons for section members and interested persons. The luncheons feature prominent speakers with expertise in various aspects of labor and employment law and public policy governing the employment relationship in California. Past speakers have included Assemblymember Darrell Steinberg, himself a former member of the section; Howard Schwarz, chief counsel for the Department of Personnel Administration; Chief Administrative Law Judge Karl Engeman of the Office of Administrative Law; and the Honorable Darrell Lewis, retired judge of the Superior Court. The luncheons are generally held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Firehouse Restaurant.

The section also publishes a monthly newsletter for its members. In addition to advising members of section events, the newsletter provides discussion of new developments in substantive law contributed by section members and interesting activities of local employment law practitioners. The section encourages the submission of articles from its members on labor and employment matters, including discussions of real world experiences and lessons learned as part of the newsletter's feature "Tales from the Trenches."