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Handbooks

California Brown Act Primer

[…] body, a collective commitment or promise by a majority of the members of a legislative body to make a positive or a negative decision, or an actual vote by a majority of the members of a legislative body when sitting as a body or entity, upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order or ordinance." Gov. […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
September 8, 2024
Pages

Explainers

[…] avoid embarrassment over mistakes, incompetence, or wrongdoing. After all, to some extent any request for disclosure of public records will place a burden on government. Both the voters and their elected officials have established the general policy that this burden is well worth bearing in order to keep democracy vital. If the catchall provision […]

July 3, 2024
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Serial Meetings

[…] second option, an interview process, to fill the vacancy. Immediately after the election many people began talking to me about filling the seat with the third highest vote getter. … It became clearly evident to me that there was a preponderance of will in this community to do just that. I had the opportunity […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

No Video Record of Show-of-Hands Votes

[…] the public. On July 5 with at least 200 in attendance, the Board voted 9-5-1 to send a proposal forward. People in front requested a roll call vote but the Chair asked for a quick vote by hand. As of today, Oct. 19 the minutes of the meeting have not been posted. That's only […]

February 23, 2018
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Brown Act Compliance for Faculty Members Digitally Attending Academic Senate Meetings

[…] anywhere, if the faculty are identified, and the public has the identified room location at each of the campuses where they may attend, see and or hear the meeting, since for any vote there is a portion of the attendees that are not in the same room, and are identified by name for each matter?

May 15, 2018
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Quorums and the CPRA

[…] Child Abuse Prevention Commission. This group is subject to the Brown Act. If our bylaws allowed it, could we legally allow members to submit a written proxy vote on specific agenda items when the member cannot be present? We are envisioning this as a rare occurrence, and that the written vote be signed by […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Does Brown Act allow public meeting recordings to be destroyed?

[…] copy; can I request to listen to the recording; can I during this time record it on my own device? What can we do about a board vote that took place after a discussion on a subject that was not in the board’s power to decide? A 3-4 decision came after an argument over […]

March 25, 2013
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Closed meeting votes and the Brown Act

Under the Brown Act, can a sitting city council conduct a secret vote (no public notification) whether to consider a legally filed candidate for a city commission appointment, and then, refuse to make public how each council member voted or how the tally went when they do appoint candidates to a commission?

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act First Amendment

Taping of public charter school meetings curtailed by corporate owners

October 13, 2014
Posts

A Guide to 2023 Open Meetings Law Changes

[…] to determine whether meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees; or (3) when the legislative body has determined, by majority vote, that meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health and safety of attendees. Every 30 days, the legislative body can vote to continue teleconferencing […]

February 16, 2023