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0905

A&A: City gone wild with continual Brown Act and CPRA violations

FAC May 15, 2012

Q: At last night’s city council meeting one city councilperson was censored by having his microphone turned off in the middle of his public comments. He was talking about how the city has lost millions [like the city of Bell] and given away millions more as favors to certain council and city staff friends. Actions are being taken by the city manager to sue this same outspoken city councilman over his asking questions about contract

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A&A: Public right to to speak denied at school board meetings

FAC November 2, 2010

Q: I need help defending the  public’s right to speak at open meetings. At school board meetings, board members will not let members of the public comment for the established time of three minutes. School district staff speaks for three minutes and then the public gets three minutes. Often times the chair does not allow the public the chance to speak at all. The chair always interrupts the public speaker. I have audio and visual

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A&A: Bundling agenda action items silences public input

FAC September 17, 2010

Q: I would like to question the legality of a new practice our school board school board to “bundle”  regular action items on the agenda. At the only regular board meeting of August 2010, after approving the consent calendar, the board approved the regular agenda items as presented. Their own by-laws state an agenda item will be presented; the administration will give their presentation and recommendations for action; the board will ask/seek further information; the

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A&A: Mayor up for reelection wants to stifle public comment on candidates

FAC August 30, 2010

Q: The mayor who is running for reelection is currently advancing a policy revision to stifle the public comments during City Council meetings of anyone who is speaking to a ballot initiative or on a candidate. Recently the mayor discussed the changes she’s proposing in an interview with a local newspaper and mentioned email communication with the city attorney aimed at creating a city policy that disallows speakers on non agenda items from topics of

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A&A: Public Comment on Public Contracts

firstamendment June 14, 2009

Q: There is a case (which was cited by one of my City’s Attorneys) wherein negotiation of a public proposal (in my case a city-owned building to be sold and developed by a private developer–AND it is an official state historic resource) does not have to be revealed until the negotiations are complete, and if I read correctly there is time before the actual AWARD of the contract and the negotiation. Do you know what

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