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Brown Act

Can a city council member who is not a member of a committee make a public comment during the committee’s meeting?

[…] a "local agency" in California. Govt. Code §§ 54951, 54952. Such meetings must generally be open to the public, with opportunity for public comment, based on an agenda made available to the public in advance, except to the extent the Brown Act specifically allows certain matters to be discussed in closed session. As the […]

April 24, 2025
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Time restrictions on public comment at public meetings

[…] does not state what those limits are and California Attorney General gave a 1992 opinion that five minutes per speaker may be "reasonable" under the circumstances Would a one minute per speaker agenda item be considered "reasonable" and does it meet the test of "ensure that the intent" of accommodating public comment "is carried out?"

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA School Records

School District agenda packets

[…] the School District is violating the Brown Act and the Public Records Act. The Brown Act expressly provides that citizens may request that a copy of the agenda packet be mailed to him or her. (Government Code section 54954.1, reproduced below.) In addition, the Brown Act provides that any documents distributed to all or […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

School Board Closed Sessions with Administrators

[…] and apparently regularly invites a "leadership team" of administrators into the Closed Session. The administrators are not necessarily there to answer specific questions that are on the agenda of the Closed Session, but to merely be there in case questions come up. I understand that board members who apparently know this to be a […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA First Amendment

Mayor up for reelection wants to stifle public comment on candidates

[…] proposing in an interview with a local newspaper and mentioned email communication with the city attorney aimed at creating a city policy that disallows speakers on non agenda items from topics of ballot initiative or candidates, partisan or non partisan. I questioned her in an email after reading the article and she responded in […]

August 30, 2010
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

I ask for transparency; they ask me to resign

[…] if this committee is an open, public meeting versus a closed door Brown Act Meeting. There are no meeting minutes and no 72- hour posting of an Agenda, as required by the Brown Act. I have been repeatedly asked to resign from the committee and have been treated very badly because I am asking […]

January 11, 2012
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Charter board meetings flout Brown Act rules

Addressing your questions in turn: First, with respect to noticing public meetings under the Brown Act, the Act provides that the agenda for any regular public meeting governed by the Act must be posted at least 72 hours before the legislative body's meeting, and should contain a "brief general description of each item of […]

June 8, 2011
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Does the 72 hour period for Agenda Amendments include weekends and holidays?

For an amended agenda, it seems that the amendments must be made 72 hours before the meeting. Does this 72 hour period include weekends and holidays?

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Denying public comment

[…] comment on an agendized item? At the start of a Council meeting, the Mayor told the many people present they might speak on any item on the agenda when it came up. When under Administrative Items, there was an item reconsidering a certain program but the Mayor would allow no comment. Although no mention […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Convening in closed sessions

[…] be outside our District boundaries. We want to fully investigate the performance of our finalist with face-to-face interviews with co-workers, parents, community members, etc. We fully intend to post an agenda once we determine who our finalist will be. Can we convene a closed session? Do you have suggested wording to include in the agenda?

June 14, 2009