FAC’s Brown Act Primer

RESOURCES ACCESS TO Meetings Accessing Public Meetings in CALIFORNIA Ralph M. Brown Act Primer Download the Brown Act Primer Menu | Ralph M. Brown Act Table of Contents This primer is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute legal advice and does not form an attorney-client relationship. It is copyrighted by the First Amendment Coalition. Contact the First Amendment Coalition at FAC@firstamendmentcoalition.org. California Brown Act Primer I. Introduction This primer was last updated

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A&A: Council Meetings On Zoom Have Increased Brown Act Violations During The Public Comment Period

Q: Our city council meetings have recently moved to Zoom sessions due to COVID. I’m curious about possible Brown Act violations due to the way the council has been conducting the meetings. The hot topic has been the current proposed city budget which they’ve had for the past three months and finally released to the community three weeks before the supposed deadline. Now that they’ve been using Zoom for the meetings, the public comments that

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A&A: Is holding a public meeting inside a gated community a violation of California’s Brown Act?

Q: A California city is holding city council meetings with the Property Owners Association (POA) in a POA building inside a gated community. The POA claims they will allow public access. However, the public would have to drive into the community and be stopped and questioned by a private POA security guard at the gates. Vehicle registration and a valid driver’s license are usually required. Is this a possible violation of the Brown Act?  A:

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A&A: Do I Have a Right to Remain Anonymous During Public Meetings Held on Zoom During the Pandemic?

Q: I’ve attended some meetings of a local government in California recently and they’ve started using Zoom to conduct the meetings because of the local COVID-19 public health orders. I’ve set up my Zoom sign-on to identify me as “John Q. Public,” which as you can probably guess isn’t my real name. But they do know who I am. However, at the beginning of the Zoom meetings the district secretary has gotten into the habit

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A&A: Can a public board limit comments to residents in their jurisdiction?

Q: Can a public board limit who can make comments during public comments to only members who live in their jurisdiction? During a recent community meeting held by our local public sewer/water district, there was a portion of time to comment on the plans they were discussing. They stated that only residents who live within their jurisdiction could make comments. Can they legally limit who can make comments during public comments in that way? They also required everyone

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