Amendments to California open meeting law require improved disclosure

Under amendments to the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, government agencies are now required to disclose more details about items under consideration at meetings. The amendments will go into effect, January 1 of 2012. The amendments also require agencies to provide notice in writing to the media of special meetings and notice by telephone [...]

California: Galt school board caught in open meeting violation

An ex-school board member alleged that the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District board violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act by not allowing public comments while conducting public interviews to fill a vacant seat on the board. The board has agreed to repeat the meeting to satisfy the Brown Act. -db From the [...]

California: Open meeting violation alleged by Encinitas City Council

In a special meeting called to discuss a draft of the general plan, a member of the city council spoke on an item not on the agenda, a possible violation of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. A council member said the council did not violate the law in that members were allowed [...]

California: Alleged violation of open meeting law for Pasadena City Council

The Pasadena City Council may have blundered when they met recently to discuss job cuts in the face of budget problems. The meeting agenda was posted at 9 p.m. on a Sunday and the meeting began at 8:30 a.m. the next day. A full 24 hour meeting notice is required by the Brown Act, the [...]

California: Allegations that Patterson City Council violated state open meeting law

Jim Ewert of the California Newspaper Publisher Association said that the Patterson City Council violated the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting act, when it failed to provide the identity of those who voted in a closed session for an interim city attorney. Ewert said it did not matter that the rankings of candidates occurred [...]

California: Appeals court sides with plaintiffs on court costs in Tulare County lunch meeting suit

Without comment a California appeals court reversed an order that the Times-Delta/Advance-Register and allies pay legal costs for Tulare County in a Brown Act suit. The newspaper and others had charged that the Tulare County Board of Supervisors violated the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, by conducting a series of lunch meetings closed [...]

California: Plaintiffs in Tulare County lunch meeting suit ask for rehearing

After losing bid to show the Tulare County Board of Supervisors violated open-meetings law by holding closed lunch meetings, the plaintiffs are asking the California 5th District Court of Appeals to reconsider their ruling. The Court ordered the plantiffs to pay legal costs in ruling the issue moot since the supervisors no longer conducted lunch [...]

California appeals court rules citizen can enforce open meeting provision in government contract

A California  appeals court reversed a lower court ruling, holding that a private citizen could enforce a contract calling for open board meetings by corporations receiving government funds. “We believe that the purpose of the provisions requiring compliance with the Brown Act was to ensure that meetings…relating to publicly funded programs would be open to [...]

California: Sanitation district vote on pay raises challenged as open meeting violation

The Orange County Sanitation District admitted to violating the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, when it voted on pay raises for 17 managers and 18 “confidential” workers behind closed doors. They will conduct a revote. Because the workers are not represented by a bargaining group, the public has the right to discuss the [...]

California: Sebastopol hospital board cautioned about open meeting violations

With two vacancies on the five-member board, the Palm Drive Hospital board is facing allegations that it violated California’s open meeting laws in meetings involving two directors. Seventy-two hour notice was not provided for meetings to review proposals to join with other hospitals. -db From The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, October 20, 201, by Bob [...]

California: Open meeting violation charged in tempest over widening of Highway 1

Citzens backing a plan to widen Highway 1 in Pacifica allege the planning commission violated Brown Act by voting on the issue when it was not on the agenda. The planning commission voted to ask Caltrans to extend the public comment period for the environmental impact report beyond October 22 when it expires. -db From [...]

California: Pacifica Planning Commissioners alleged to have broken open meeting law

The San Mateo District Attorney’s Office is investigating an alleged violation of the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law after, without it being posted on the agenda, the Pacific Planning Commission took up Caltrans’ plan to widen Highway 1. -db From the Pacifica Patch, October 5, 2011, by Camden Swita. Full story

Opinion: Los Angeles supervisors fake it in closing public out

An editorial in the Los Angeles Times argues there few reasonable justifications for the Los Angeles County supervisors to hold discussions with Gov. Jerry Brown behind closed doors on the impending shift of inmates and  parolees to local control. In discussing policy concerning the shift, the supervisors claimed they had to meet privately to confer [...]

California: Alleged open meeting violation by Upland City Council

A former  City Council candidate has filed a complaint with the San Bernardino County District Attorney alleging that the council had committed two open meeting violations. The first was not reporting an action taken during a closed session and the second concerned a resolution to create a supplemental retirement plan. -db From the Inland Valley [...]

San Diego health care district accused of open meeting violation

The Tri-City Healthcare District board has been accused of violating the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, by holding a closed door session on strategic directions for the district before convening again in closed session to evaluate the performance of their CEO. Critics said the session on setting strategic directions should have been on an [...]

California: Orange County D.A. drops open meeting charges against school district

After a preliminary finding in May that the Capistrano Unified School District violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, the Orange County District Attorney’s office announced this week that they could not corroborate the finding. But the office found a lot to fault, using colorful language to criticize the way the district conducted meetings. [...]

Opinion: Congress should pass law requiring budget supercommittee to conduct open sessions

An editorial in the Beaumont Texas Enterprise argues that the Congressional supercommittee to find $1.5 trillion to cut from the federal budget should conduct its deliberations in public. Some legislators and sponsoring a bill requiring the committee to hold open hearings and disclose any contacts members of the committee make with lobbyists. That latter requirement [...]

Republicans call for open meetings for supercommittee on budget cuts

A group of Senate Republicans wants the Congressional supercommittee formed to make $1.5 trillion in cuts to the budget open to the public. The Republicans not only favor admitting the press and public but also live streaming of the proceedings. In its first meeting, the subcommittee voted to allow some closed meetings but pledged to [...]

Willows: California Attorney General slated to investigate alleged open meeting violations

With local authorities hamstrung by conflict of interest and lack of resources, California’s state attorney general office may step up to investigate alleged open meeting violations by the Willows City Council during a June 14 closed meeting. The council has been accused of discussing items not on the agenda and the budget in a closed [...]

No violation of open meeting act by Santa Barbara City College says district attorney’s office

The Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office informed backers of the outgoing Santa Barbara City College president that the college Board of Trustees had not violated the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law, by not disclosing the outcome of Superintendent-President Andreea Serban’s evaluation. The backers of the former president are seeking to recall three of the [...]

Open meetings: City council barred from taking private tour of water facility

California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris demonstrated the long reach of the state’s open meeting law, the Brown Act,  in her opinion that for majority of a Southern California city council to take an invitation-only tour of a Northern California water district facility would be a violation of the law. Harris also said that even if [...]

California: DA enforces state open meeting law concerning Novato affordable housing project

The Marin County district attorney told the Novato City Council they had to remedy an alleged open meeting violation by holding a repeat of its review of an affordable housing project. The new meeting was held August 23. California’s Brown Act, the open meeting law, requires public agencies to post their agendas at least 72 [...]

California: Judge dismisses open meeting lawsuit against Capistrano schools

Schools watchdog Jim Reardon lost his suit against the Capistrano Unified School District when a judge ruled the district properly dealt with an alleged viiolation of California’s Brown Act, the open meeting law. After Reardon challenged the district over a March closed door meeting to  partially restore pay cuts to employees, the district met again [...]

Big Brother emerges in guise of Ohio congressman

Republican Congressman Steve Chabot of Ohio didn’t like his chances of avoiding an embarrassing Youtube video from going viral on the internet so he did what a self-interested politician might do. He enlisted the police to confiscate cameras from citizens attending a townhall meeting. The only trouble is that he now has to contend with [...]

California: Dispute about what Capistrano schools must do to rectify open meeting violation

Sam Capistrano resident Jim Reardon sued the Capistrano Unified School District  in March claiming the board held a closed door meeting to partially restore teacher salaries and failed to report their actions. Without acknowledging a violation of the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, the board subsequently held a public meeting to discuss teacher salaries, [...]

California: Two board members leave closed session fearing violation of open meeting law

Two board members for Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare bolted from a closed door meeting fearing that the panel had violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act. One of the two requested a legal review of the issue during the meeting and left when he was not happy with the response. An anonymous source said [...]

Policy makers for California courts make changes to improve transparency

The administrative body for California’s courts has taken steps to improve accountability and transparency by opening key meetings and increasing the time for public comment. The changes came after judges and others criticized the courts for not being open to dissent and for its secretiveness. California Newspaper Publishers Association’s Jim Ewert said, “I think it’s [...]

California: Chico school loses charter partly from alleged open meeting violations

The Chico Green School lost its charter and state funding partly because the school allegedly violated the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. The attorney for the Green School said the Brown Act did not apply to charter schools since the act did not mention them. The judge who withdrew the state funding said charter [...]

California: Too quick may mean open meeting violation by Sacramento City Council

The Sacramento City Council may have violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, when it quickly adopted a plan for Sacramento redistricting  at its August 9 meeting, writes Melissa Corker for the Sacramento Press. Corker says the council suddenly presented a new map for redistricting after months of work by a citizens’ advisory committee [...]

California: District Attorney cuffs Novato City Council for open meeting violation

The Marin County District Attorney criticized the Novato City Council for deciding at the last minute to discuss an issue without informing the public. The issue concerned affordable housing, of great interest to the public. The council agreed to readdress the matter at a future meeting. -db From the Marin Independent Journal, August 16, 2011 [...]

California: Oakland transportation agency reconsiders move to San Francisco after alleged open meeting violation

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to reconsider a decision to move from Oakland to San Francisco after critics alleged they violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, in approving the move. The commission is now considering a site in Oakland along with the San Francisco site. -db From KGO-TV, August 17, 2011, by Laura [...]

California: Redding City Council faulted on open meetings

A watchdog group has alleged that the Redding City Council violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, by not reporting on decisions made during a closed session on July 19. The Marking a Difference for Shasta group said the council failed to report decisions on an electric utility lawsuit and a civic center lease. [...]

California: Atascadero City Council stops responding to public during open comment session

The Atascadero City Council has decided without public notice or discussion to halt give-and-take during the public comment session of council meetings, says David Broadwater, a local activist. In an opinion piece in the Cal Coast News, Broadwater writes, “Previously, under the Brown Act, in response to questions and matters raised regarding non-agenda issues, the [...]

California: Menifee city council drops ‘secret ballot’ in selecting new council member

After opinions that a secret ballot could not be used in appointing a new member to the Menifee City Council, the council revised the plan. Under the new plan, council members will give each candidate a ranking which will be displayed to the public. The rankings will be tabulated to select the new member. The [...]

California: Publisher says boycott of St. Helena Star retaliation for criticism of council

Doug Ernst, the publisher of the St. Helena Star says an e-mail circulating in town calling for a boycott of his newspaper is in response to a news story and an opinion column written in the aftermath of a district attorney  report that found the city council had committed five violations of the Brown Act, [...]

California: Critics claim San Luis Obispo City Council violating open meeting law

Critics in the San Luis Obispo community are alleging that the city council is regularly committing open meeting violations including sending an e-mail to fellow council members to generate support for an issue before the issue was listed on an agenda. When the president of the police officer’s association asked that the e-mail be made [...]

New York: Group seeks to overturn same-sex marriage law with open meetings suit

New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms has filed suit in New York claiming the state’s Open Meetings Law was violated in passing the law giving gays the right to marry. Among other things the group claims the Republicans met in secret to discuss the law. The challenge is not expected to succeed at least on one [...]

California: Alleged Santa Ana open meeting violation

The Santa Ana City Council failed to comply with the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law when they did not allow the public to comment on issues disclose in a closed door meeting on July 18. They also changed the location of the closed door meeting without notifying the public. -db From a commentary in [...]

California: Glendale councilman claims council violated open meetings law

Glendale city councilman Rafi Manoukian has alleged that the council violated the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law, when they held a closed meeting on the topic of the city manager’s impending retirement. Although Manoukian would not say what his allegation entailed, the closed session on the city manager was posted as “Performance Evaluation [...]

California: Allegations that Santa Barbara City College trustees violated open meeting law

An activist group that opposes four recently elected trustees of the Santa Barbara College Board alleged that the board violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act. The group is charging that in evaluating the Superintendent-President Andreea Serban, the board failed to disclose the results of her evaluation. The group is pressing for a satisfactory [...]

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