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Showing 11 - 20 of 260 results

Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Ad hoc committees under the Brown Act

[…] being propaganda machines or special interest mechanisms. My question is at what political or length of time threshold (economic revitalization seems like a non-temporary issue to me) is an issue no longer a candidate for ad hoc committees, but for regular " standing" subcommittees that the public can attend? Is there a law about this?

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Did email exchange between committee members violate Brown Act?

[…] a meeting schedule fixed by charter, ordinance, resolution, or formal action of a legislative body are legislative bodies for purposes of this chapter." Cal. Gov't Code Â§ 54952(b). Thus, bodies such as a board of supervisors, city council, planning commission or directors of a special district are legislative bodies under § 54952(a); Kavanaugh v. West […]

March 16, 2015
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Budget committee meets behind closed doors

Our county budget committee meets behind closed doors and keeps no written records of meetings. County staff says it’s OK because the budget committee is an ad hoc committee. They say they can designate ANY committee as an ad hoc committee and meet behind closed doors.

September 13, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Closed door meetings benefitted labor union at cost of public tidelands

[…] surprisingly, official bodies of local agencies count as legislative bodies. This includes bodies of a local agency, a local body created by state or federal law, or standing committees of legislative bodies. See Gov’t Code §§ 54952(a) – (b). However, in certain situations, private bodies can also be subject to the Brown Act. Government […]

November 15, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Can A School District Bar The Public From School Closure Meetings?

[…] a public school being fast-tracked to close in 25 days. An important piece of this decision-making process is a report that is being written by a superintendent's advisory committee. This committee has closed meetings and the school board allows this. I have asked for the public to be able to view the meetings, to […]

April 21, 2022
Asked and Answered

CPRA

Council-elect make decisions, but claim documents are not public

[…] requested the budget for the event, how much has been raised in donations and the names of the major donors but have been denied. A couple of additional facts: no city money is going toward the celebration. Also, although the five council members-elect have not been sworn, they have been meeting as a council-elect […]

October 21, 2010
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Park & Rec “advisory committee” keeping its advice secret

[…] a meeting schedule fixed by charter, ordinance, resolution, or formal action of a legislative body are legislative bodies for purposes of this chapter." Cal. Gov't Code § 54952(b). This provision would seem to indicate that unless the committee is a standing committee of the legislative body with a continuing subject matter jurisdiction or the governing […]

August 8, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

The CPRA, the Brown Act and Retirement Trusts

An employee retirement trust is delegated the responsibility of providing and administering retiree health benefits by our school district. The unions appoint four individuals, the district appoints four and it is unclear who appoints the two retirees on the board (10 board members total). I filed PRAs last year, they responded to first one […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

If hard-won court victory against Prop 8 is tossed out because of “standing” defect, you can thank Jerry Brown

[…] of Prop 8's supporters. Although the defenders of Prop 8 were ably represented in Judge Walker's courtroom by conservative litigator Charles Cooper, they may lack legal " standing"--a constitutional requirement in federal suits--to appeal Judge Walker's decision to the federal court of appeals and, ultimately, to the US Supreme Court. Judge Walker highlighted this […]

August 18, 2010
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Regulations on public comment

[…] formal action of a legislative body. Generally, this is the case regardless of whether the body is permanent or temporary, advisory or decision-making. However, Government Code section 54952(b) exempts advisory committees that are comprised solely of less than a quorum of the members of the legislative body that created them. This exemption does not apply, […]

June 14, 2009