A new bill, AB 1905, was signed into California state law, adding section 66284 to the California Education Code effective January 1, 2025.

Specifically, public postsecondary educational institutions must ensure Official Letters of Recommendation meet the following requirements:

• Administrators and managers who choose to provide an Official Letter of Recommendation must consult with appropriate entities to determine if the employee is a respondent in a sexual harassment complaint filed with the College.  At Mt. SAC, Administrators and Managers must consult Human Resources before issuing an Official Letter of Recommendation.
• Administrators and managers are prohibited from providing an Official Letter of Recommendation if the employee is a respondent in a sexual harassment complaint and any of the following has occurred:
  • A final administrative decision (sustained finding) that the employee committed sexual harassment.
  • The employee resigned while an investigation was pending and before a final administrative decision was made.
  • The employee enters into a settlement with the college based on allegations arising from a sexual harassment complaint.

Official letters of recommendation for employment are defined as letters endorsed by the college and represent the views of the college as an employer that are issued on college letterhead or via a college-issued email address.

Administrators and managers include individuals who have signed a management contract as in an educational administrator, classified manager, or temporary management position and are employed directly with the district, regardless of the current relationship between the letter writer and the requestor.

Official letters of recommendation are different from personal references or letters of recommendation that represent the views of the individual letter writer and are provided in an individual capacity.  Personal letters should not be issued on college letterhead. Generally, personal email addresses should be used for personal references or letters instead.  If college-issued email addresses are used for the issuance of personal references or letters, then the recommendation must explicitly state that the reference/letter is provided in a personal capacity and does not represent the College's views. If a personal letter is sent from a college email address, it must contain the following language:

“The following recommendation represents my personal perspective working with [name] and does not represent the viewpoints of Mt. San Antonio College."

• If you are a current or former employee requesting an Official Letter of Recommendation, then you must complete the Official Letter of Recommendation Eligibility Request Form (below).

• If you are an Administrator or Manager requesting approval to write an Official Letter of Recommendation for a current or former employee, then you must have the current or former employee fill out the Official Letter of Recommendation Eligibility Request Form (below).

• Upon submission of the form the employee and identified manager will be notified of  their eligibility via email.

• Any questions regarding California Education Code 66284 or this process can be made to:  eeo.titleix@mtsac.edu or (909) 274-5249.

• Is this policy only related to references or letters of recommendation for employment purposes? 

  • No, if an employee or student employee is asking for a reference or letter of recommendation for any reason, this policy will apply.

• I am a student employee asking for a letter of recommendation or reference for my role as an employee, do I need to submit a request for eligibility from Human Resources?
  • Yes, any request for a reference or recommendation that speaks to the student assistant employment must go through this request process.