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Asked and Answered

Brown Act CPRA

Closed Sessions and Permissible Topics

My local city council has apparently held closed session meetings on whether or not they will repair a landslide on a city street. The agenda notification listed only pending litigation, but did not list the specific subject. These meetings resulted in public policy decisions. I have made a CPRA request for public records relating […]

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Bagley-Keene Act Brown Act

Closed Session on Employee Performance

The Brown Act provides that agendas must contain "a brief general description of each item of business to be transacted or discussed at the meeting . . .. A brief general description of an item generally need not exceed 20 words." Govt. Code Section 54954.2(a). The general idea — as you suggested below –is […]

June 14, 2009
Latest News

Blog

Vallejo’s bankruptcy highlights need for transparency in city-union contracts

[…] can afford. While decisions at the state level are partly to blame, ultimate responsibility for the mismatch of revenue and expenses rests with local elected officials who, meeting in secret, have managed to avoid public discussion of the true cost and fiscal impact of the pay deals that they have approved. If no one […]
- Government Transparency and Accountability
- Public Meetings
June 3, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Are Community Action Agencies Subject to the Brown Act?

[…] though the superintendent appointed members of the committee. "Standing committees of a legislative body, irrespective of their composition, which have a continuing subject matter jurisdiction, or a meeting schedule fixed by charter, ordinance, resolution or formal action of a legislative body are legislative bodies. Government Code section 54952(b). If a Community Action Agency is […]

October 30, 2020
Asked and Answered

First Amendment

Can ballot arguments be selected based on political content?

[…] of the argument focused on the tax measure. I believe this is an encroachment on free speech rights and an abuse of discretion. Additional facts:1) In a meeting yesterday, the elections official acknowledged that he and the elected Clerk Recorder discussed their political views regarding the ballot measure, during their selection deliberations;2) The county […]

November 10, 2016
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

School Board Voted In Secret to Pick New Superintendent

Our group plus hundreds of teachers, parents, and community activists protested against the secret meeting that the city school board to pick the new yet controversial superintendent. We believe that the closed and secret meeting violated several provisions of the Brown Act and we would like help in understanding how the Brown Act applies […]

December 10, 2018
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

When should “anticipated litigation” be agendized?

[…] litigation, which claim or communication shall be available for public inspection pursuant to Section 54957.5. (D) A statement made by a person in an open and public meeting threatening litigation on a specific matter within the responsibility of the legislative body. (E) A statement threatening litigation made by a person outside an open and […]

February 3, 2014
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Non-profits, public funds, and the Brown Act

I am a voting member of a nonprofit corporation, a preschool cooperative. If the corporation receives public money in the form of a grant is its board bound by any state open meeting laws?

June 14, 2009
Asked and Answered

Brown Act

Charter schools and the Brown Act

The Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, applies to any "legislative body." There are a couple of different ways that a particular entity could be viewed as a "legislative body" subject to the Brown Act. Specifically, Gov’t Code § 54952 provides: As used in this chapter, "legislative body" means: (c) (1) A board, commission, committee, or […]

June 1, 2016
Latest News

FAC News Press Release

Bert Robinson, veteran reporter, editor and open government advocate joins FAC Board

[…] the Mercury News Robinson wrote a series of articles detailing little-known closed sessions of the California Legislature that led to to the passage of the Legislative Open Meeting Act. More recently, he was a key player in the San Jose Sunshine Reform Task Force that wrote the new open meetings and open records law […]

January 5, 2013