California open government roundup: New policies needed to promote civil conduct

San Diego County supervisors stiffened their policies on public participation at meetings after a citizen said he wanted three supervisors dead and hurled a racial slur at a county public health officer. (Times of San Diego, November 10, 2021, by Elizabeth Ireland)

The San Diego Project for Open Government took exception to the new policies, promising litigation if the council failed to make changes, particularly to the limits in minutes allowed speakers at board meetings. (KUSI, November 12, 2011, by KUSI Newsroom)

A Sacramento Count grand jury reported that the Del Paso Manor Water District operated in secrecy in violation of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, by failing to provide the public with board meeting agendas and other information. (Sacramento Bee, November 11, 2021, by Dale Kasler)

The San Luis Obispo County district attorney told the Shandon-San Juan Water District to stop violating the Brown Act. The district had been working behind closed doors to obtain new water rights, claiming they were involved in discussions of litigation. (Cal Coast News.com, November 9, 2021, by Karen Velie)

Citizens in Santa Ana are upset by the city council’s new ordinances on rent control and eviction. They claim that the ordinances were drafted in secret meetings with no attempt to engage the community. (New Santa Ana, November 9, 2021, by Editor)

A superior court judge torpedoed the Westlands Water District’s plan for water allocation on the grounds that it lacked important financial terms and was conceived without proper public notice. (Sacramento News & Review, November 2, 2021, by Dan Bacher)

A Fresno nonprofit filed a lawsuit charging Fresno County with violating the Brown Act by failing to engage the pubic in enacting changes in juvenile justice. (The Fresno Bee, October 30, 2021,by Thaddeus Miller)

The California Supreme Court rejected a pubic records case brought by San Diego news outlets, shutting down their efforts to provide public access to Covid-19 outbreak location data. FAC argued for the disclosure. (Voice of San Diego, October 29, 2021, by Jesse Marx)

In the wake of a corruption scandal, the San Francisco budget and legislative analyst issued a report saying that a lack of formal chains of command can result in a lack of transparency. (San Francisco Examiner, October 27, 2021, by Benjamin Schneider)

A group of citizens are challenging an appointment to the Moreno Valley City Council, claiming the appointment was made in secrecy and not listed on a meeting agenda. (The Press-Enterprise, October 26, 2021, by Jeff Horseman)

Lowell High School alums are suing the San Francisco school board for ending merit-based admissions to diversify the student body. The alums note that the new admissions policy was expedited, giving the public only one week to consider it thus violating the Brown Act in failing to provide adequate time for public comment. (SF News, October 25, 2021, by Joe Kukura)

Menlo Park’s mayor criticized a councilwoman for establishing a closed session without proper notice, a session he says was not warranted given circumstances. (The Almanac, October 21, by Kate Bradshaw)

Laguna Beach officials asked the Orange County District Attorney to discuss with them allegations of Brown Act violations concerning a closed session meeting. (Laguna Beach Independent, October 1, 2021, by Breena Greenberg, guest contributor)

A state court of appeals ordered publication of a part of its August 24 decision that held that e-mailing a late document to the county clerk to provide public access to the Board of Supervisor’s agenda did not meet the demands of the Brown Act since the clerk’s office was closed at the time. (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, September 23, 2021, by a Met News Staff Writer)