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California: Attorney General looking at San Luis Obispo judges’ budget power

donal brown September 27, 2011

With San Luis Obispo County  judges awarding themselves over $235,000 in annual benefits, the California Attorney General is considering whether the Commission on Judicial Performance can bring sanctions against them. With control over the budget, the judges began giving themselves extra benefits without complying with state regulations regarding compensation from public funds and with the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. -db From the Cal Coast News, September 26, 2011, by Karen Velie. Full

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A&A:Public comment vs. speaking on agenda item

FAC September 27, 2011

Q: I sit on a local municipal advisory committee and some time ago we added a standing item to our agendas entitled “Committee Reports” so that council members who sit on these committees or work groups can report out. There are four such reports listed at the end of our agenda. At the beginning of the meeting under Public Comment, I (as the chair) had a speaker card which listed the Item and the subject

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California: Alleged open meeting violation by Upland City Council

donal brown September 26, 2011

A former  City Council candidate has filed a complaint with the San Bernardino County District Attorney alleging that the council had committed two open meeting violations. The first was not reporting an action taken during a closed session and the second concerned a resolution to create a supplemental retirement plan. -db From the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, September 23, 2011, by Sandra Emerson. Full story

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San Diego health care district accused of open meeting violation

donal brown September 26, 2011

The Tri-City Healthcare District board has been accused of violating the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, by holding a closed door session on strategic directions for the district before convening again in closed session to evaluate the performance of their CEO. Critics said the session on setting strategic directions should have been on an agenda and open to the public. An attorney for the district said the board could evaluate personnel on goals and

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Free speech: Students guilty of disrupting speech at University of California Irvine

donal brown September 26, 2011

A jury in Irvine, California found 10 Muslim students guilty of disrupting a speech by the Israeli ambassador at UC Irvine. They were sentenced to three years probation and 56 hours of community service. One legal scholar said the students’ speech directed toward depriving another of First Amendment rights was not protected but felt the criminal misdemeanor charges were excessive after the university had disciplined the students. -db From the Los Angeles Times, September 23, 2011,

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