The Los Angeles County district attorney exonerated Cerritos Mayor Pro-Tem Carol Chen after a citizen contended that she and other council members held a private meeting with other local elected officials to plan ways to oppose an improvement bond by a local school district. The district attorney questioned the propriety of the meeting but found no Brown Act violation in that there were no majorities of any elected body at the meeting. (Los Cerritos News, July 30, 2014, by Randy Economy and Brian Hews)
The Lompoc City Council is responding to the county district attorney’s questions about the council’s position on an application for a recreational complex operating without a permit. The council is alleged to have taken a position on the application but no public records show discussions leading to the position. (Lompoc Record, July 28, 2014, by Carol Benham)
In its yearly report, the local grand jury found that the Patterson City Council allegedly violated the Brown Act in failing to provide information to the public in a timely way. The report cited the failure of the council to disclose addresses of property under negotiation in closed door meetings and the failure to publish City Council minutes with dispatch. (Patterson Irrigator, July 24, 2014, by Elias Funez)
A Monterey County Civil Rights Coalition member alleged that the Community Corrections Partnership committed a open meeting violation by agreeing to a contract in advance of a formal vote. (The Salinas Californian, July 22, 2014, by Allison Gatlin)