FAC

Q:  I chair the Citizens’ Advisory Committee to the Water District Board. A member of the public attends and harasses the Board accusing them of not following precisely Robert’s Rules of Order at District noticed and agendized Board meetings. Is he correct? A:  As you probably know, in California the Brown Act governs meetings of “legislative bodies,” which usually includes advisory committees such as the one you describe, and would certainly cover meetings of the Water

Q:  Is there any new case law on deliberative process privilege? I read on the website that in 2008 the CA court of appeals ruled Prop. 59 didn’t eliminate the deliberative process privilege. So, is the fact that the right to know is a constitutional right a dead argument? Can the privilege be claimed to prevent deposition of City Council members if it is believed their motivation was discrimination and retaliation? I hope there has

Q: Exactly what portion of personnel files are exempt from disclosure under the California Public Records Act? Specifically, I am trying to find out whether our child’s public school teacher — who was a probationary employee  resigned;  was terminated for cause, or  was “non-reelected” (no reason required per union contract). Our School District maintains that the vast majority of an teacher’s personnel file is non-public, with the exception of a very limited number of basic