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Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Public Comment Limits Don’t Allow Time To Make Case

California’s open meeting law, known as the Brown Act, requires that "very agenda for regular meetings shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body on any item of interest to the public, before or during the legislative body’s consideration of the item, that is within the subject […]

May 29, 2010
Posts

FAC urges ‘NO’ vote on San Francisco’s Prop E

The First Amendment Coalition opposes Proposition E, a November-election ballot measure about public access to San Francisco city Board and Commission meetings. FAC supports reforms that make San Francisco’s political process more transparent and more open to voices that are not currently heard, and FAC supports the use of technology to make government more […]
- Public Meetings
September 9, 2015
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Does A Closed Session Employment Termination Decision Violate the Brown Act?

[…] Library Director of the City's Public Library, I found out yesterday that I am to be terminated from this position. The decision took place during a special meeting of the Library Board. I was at the meeting, but not invited to attend the closed session. The meeting was agendized as "Public Employee Evaluation—Library Director […]

November 12, 2018
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Which Meetings are Governed by the Brown Act? Bagley-Keen Act?

Are relevant portions of the following meetings governed by the Brown Act (or the Bagley-Keen Act)?: The board meetings of a nonprofit that a County Dept of Mental Health has contracted with to run a program which has been fully developed by the County Mental Health Department, when that board discusses such program? The […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Quorums, Listservs, and the Brown Act

[…] listserv does not in and of itself violate the Brown Act, a Brown Act violation would exist to the extent the listserv is used to conduct a serial meeting. The Brown Act defines a "meeting" as "a congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and place to […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Has the public comment requirement changed due to Gov. Newsom’s executive order amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

[…] physical presence of members, the clerk or other personnel of the body, or of the public as a condition of participation in or quorum for a public meeting"during the COVID-19 crisis.Order N-29-20 also states: "A local . . . body . . . that holds a meeting via teleconferencing and allows members of the […]

July 21, 2020
Posts

FAC Opposes Bills that Weaken Open-Meetings Protections

California lawmakers are considering bills that would weaken our open- meeting protections by allowing officials who serve on a variety of local and state government bodies to avoid showing up to work in person. FAC opposes: SB 544 SB 411 SB 537 Read our coalition’s opposition letters for SB 544, SB 411, and SB 537. […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
July 12, 2023
Posts

FAC Opposes AB 817, a Bill Weakening the Brown Act’s Public Meeting Protections

FAC sent this letter to Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco to oppose AB 817, a bill that would reduce the transparency and accountability of local government meetings, by allowing certain entities to meet entirely virtually.
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
May 14, 2024
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

How does the Brown Act Apply to ‘Ad Hoc’ Versus ‘Standing’ Committees?

[…] butnotto "ad hoc committees." The challenge can come in defining which is which.Under the Brown Act a "standing committee" is one that has "continuing subject matter jurisdiction,ora meeting schedule fixed by charter, ordinance, resolution or formal action of a legislative body." Gov. Code section 54952 (emphasis added). It’s important to note the highlighted "or" […]

April 14, 2022
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Defining “action taken” and sufficiently describing agenda items

[…] year in student fees, seems to consistently violate the Brown Act, particularly with respect to notice of its intended actions. Specifically, while our student government timely posts meeting agendas, the entries are so vague they fail entirely to describe the possible actions that ultimately (at the same meeting) get taken. For the most part, […]

June 14, 2009