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Brown Act

California: Disturbing lack of transparency in firing Atwater superintendent

donal brown May 14, 2012

By a 3-2 vote the trustees of the Atwater Elementary School District fired the district superintendent, Melinda Hennes,  without explanation. Hennes had been on the job for seven years and recently received a favorable evaluation from the trustees. The trustees owe the public an explanation not only for the firing but also how the three reached the decision to fire Hennes without any official meeting time, argues the Merced Sun-Star in an editorial. -db From

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California’s open meeting law allows memos from superintendents to school board with some caveats

donal brown May 10, 2012

Customary weekly memos from superintendents to school board members does not necessarily violate the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, provided that the memos avoid relaying the policy positions of board members, writes James Scot Yarnell in a legal analysis for Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo. -db From an analysis for the law corporation, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, May 8, 2012, by James Scot Yarnell. Full story

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California: Kern County supervisor agenda item raises suspicions

donal brown May 7, 2012

The listing of job description of the county administrative officer appears nearly every week on the agenda for a closed session of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, a suspicious phenomenon, writes Lois Henry for The Bakersfield Californian. A citizen watchdog says that discussions of job performance, not job description, are exempt from open meetings. -db From a commentary for The Bakersfield Californian, May 5 2012, by Lois Henry. Full story  

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California: St. Helena planning group may have violated open meeting law with e-mails

donal brown May 3, 2012

In sending an e-mail to the director about layoffs in the St. Helena Planning Department, a commissioner sent a copy to fellow commissioners, an alleged violation of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. The law prevents a majority of a legislative body from communicating outside a public meeting. -db From the  St. Helena Star, May 3, 2012, by Jesse Duarte. Full story

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