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  • Handbooks

    California Brown Act Primer

    […] 2022 by Legal Fellow Monica Price, with contributions from Executive Director David Snyder and Legal Director David Loy. It was created in 2006 by James Chadwick, then of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton. Please see this 2023 addendum for an overview of open-meetings law changes that occurred since this guide was published in March 2022.

    September 8, 2024

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    City Clerk requires Ad Hoc reports to be in announcements

    Why would our city clerk require city Commissions to move all ad hoc reports and standing committees from agenda items to the announcements portion of the meeting? They are not listed on the agenda unless the ad hoc specifies the exact language of the action/recommendation for our city council. Then it gets more complicated […]

    October 6, 2009

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Is a Coordinating Committee exempt from the Brown Act?

    The elected Community Advisory Group, created under the Planning Department of my County, convenes a coordinating sub-committee to review the Advisory Group's standing rules. The Coordinating Committee chairman does not follow Brown Act obligations (e.g. requirements for notice, agenda, etc.) because he maintains that the Committee is Ad Hoc. Is the Coordinating Committee subject […]

    April 19, 2016

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Are school district “fact-finding” committee meetings public?

    […] numbers in the area, fiscal impact and the impact on academic programs should they close the school. It is my understanding that such a committee is an advisory committee for the district and therefore falls under the Brown Act, however at the last committee meeting the district's public information officer tried to chase me […]

    March 8, 2016

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act CPRA

    Are city council subcommittees Brown Act-exempt?

    […] 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). In other words, if the committee was created by formal action, but falls under the ad hoc sub-quorum committee exemption, then the committee does not have to […]

    September 21, 2012

  • Asked and Answered

    Brown Act

    Does the Brown Act apply to city council appointed committees?

    […] charter, ordinance, resolution or formal action of a legislative body; or standing committees of a legislative body that have continuing subject matter jurisdiction. Cal. Gov't Code § 54952(b), (c). However, "advisory committees, composed solely of the members of the legislative body that are less than a quorum of the legislative body are not legislative bodies, […]

    August 15, 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

    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

    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