Administrative Agencies

The past year has seen a cross section of administrative law at work. If there is any discernible trend, it is that both the California courts and the California legislature seem keenly aware of the problems of balance that are involved in agency procedures and in the judicial review of an agency\u27s act or decision. It may be speculated that in such balancing, continued attention will be given to such matters as prehearing discovery and conferences, the adequacy of findings of fact in particular situations, and the relationship between administrative remedies and court determinations. This article will consider the year\u27s developments, primarily court decisions, in the following order: prehearing investigations and procedures, formal charge, defenses, hearing procedures, adminstrative findings, and the relationship between agency decisions and the courts. By reason of the varied statutes and local laws governing particular administrative proceedings, it is not feasible to portray each case in its particular setting in detail. Rather, the purpose of this review is to present the year\u27s decisions or other developments in a highlight fashion