Central valley: Hughson seats new city council members after finding of Brown Act violations

The small town of Hughson swore in three new city council members with feelings of elation and renewal after recalling three former council members that the Stanislaus County Civil Grand Jury found had violated California’s open meeting law, Hughson’s Municipal Code and Fair Political Practices Regulations and Code. -db
Turlock Journal
August 31, 2010
By Maegan Martens
After eight [...]

Open-meeting violation alleged over Pomona schools parcel tax proposal

A citizen accused the Pomona Unified School District board of violating California’s open meeting law by holding discussions in closed sessions about a parcel tax proposed for the November ballot. The board’s attorney says the board acted properly in that all votes concerning the parcel tax were conducted in public. -db
Contra Costa Times
August 31, 2010
By [...]

Sunnyvale: Family affair in school board race prompts concerns about open meeting violations

Three members from the Goldman family are running for the Fremont Union High School District board in a contest for three open seats as observers expressed some skepticism about whether, if all three are elected, they could successfully observe California’s open meeting law and avoid discussing school district business around the breakfast table. -db
San [...]

Driver’s union claims transit authority violated California open meeting law

A San Bernardino County teamster’s union has charged the Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority with failing to convene in open session before adjourning to closed session, a violation of the state’s open meeting law, the Brown Act. -db
Big Bear Grizzly
August 27, 2010
By Arrissa Owen Turner
Mountain Area Regional Transit Authority violated the Ralph M. Brown [...]

Southern California: Fontana school board president justifies silencing citizens during public comments

The Fontana Unified School District board president said he stopped citizens from talking during public comment period because according to California Education Code Section 7054, citizens could not discuss district issues at school board meetings to promote ballot measures or political candidates. -db
Fontana Herald News
August 26, 2010
By Alejandro Cano
It has happened at least [...]

Tulare County: Editorial says judge’s ruling blow to open meetings

On the heels of a Superior Court judge’s decision to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Brown Act violations by the county Board of Supervisors, the Visalia Times-Delta argues that the judge should have recognized the overriding importance of the public’s right to know how elected officials conduct public business. -db
Visalia Times-Delta
Editorial
August 26, 2010
Naturally, we at the [...]

Tulare County supervisors likely to evade suit on alleged open meeting violations

A superior court judge indicated she would dismiss an open meeting lawsuit against the Tulare County Board of Supervisors from lack of solid evidence. The supervisors were alleged to have violated California’s Brown Act by meeting regularly for lunch, they claimed, to build team solidarity. -db
Visalia Times-Delta
August 21, 2010
By Valerie Gibbons
A Tulare County Superior [...]

Porterville City Council rejects proposal to limit public comments

The Porterville City Council decided not to restrict public comments to those items on the agenda even though members of the community wanted to comment on the agenda would have to wait their turn.
California’s open meeting law says the public has a right to comment on issues before government agencies make decisions. -db
The Porterville Recorder
August [...]

Los Angeles County child welfare probe heats up

Amid accusations that they are more concerned with leaks than with the safety of children, the Los Angeles County supervisors ordered an investigation of what they termed “inappropriate disclosure of confidential child welfare information” to the Los Angeles Times. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 18, 2010
By Rong-Gong Lin II
In a contentious 4-1 vote, Los Angeles County [...]

Los Angeles County investigates improper release of information on child death and neglect cases

Los Angeles County have asked departments to investigate inappropriate disclosure of child welfare information, but in making the request in a closed meeting, according to legal experts, have violated the California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act. -db
Los Angeles Times
August 15, 2010
By Lisa Girion
Los Angeles County officials are investigating information released regarding a [...]

California school district adopts changes to comply with open meeting law

To comply with California’s open meetings law, the Brown Act, the Fillmore Unified School District board of trustees changed its policies on banning recording of its meetings and their requirement that speakers to the board provide an address before making comments. -db
m.vcstar.com
August 4, 2010
By Cheri Carlson
Fillmore Unified School District trustees have made some changes to [...]

Texas cities blocked from joining suit against state’s open meetings law

A federal judge ruled that a group of Texas cities cannot join in the suit to overturn the state’s open meetings law because the cities have no guarantee of free speech. Seventeen public officials are challenging the constitutionality of the law that forbids a quorum deliberting behind closed doors. -db
Reporters Committee for Freedom of [...]

San Diego County: Advisory groups in unincorporated areas must comply with California open meeting laws

A California state agency has informed San Diego County that its advisory group members in unincorporated areas were public officials and must comply with state laws governing officials including open meetings laws. The County has established a number of advisory groups to tap local knowledge in setting policies.-db
Ramona Sentinel
August 9, 2010
By Karen Brainard
San Diego County [...]

Morgan Hill mayor denies violating Brown Act

A citizen accused the Morgan Hill mayor of violating California’s open meeting law when the mayor refused to allow him to speak during a recent city council meeting. The mayor said the man couldn’t speak because he did not fill out a speaker card and give it to the clerk at the start of the [...]

Alameda: Councilwoman asks DA to close investigation of alleged open meeting violation

Through her attorney, an Alameda city councilwoman has asked the Alameda County District Attorney to drop its inquiry into her alleged leaks of confidential information in violation of California’s open meeting law. -db
Alameda: Attorney for councilwoman asks DA to close investigation of alleged open meeting violation
The Island
July 27, 2910
By Michele Ellson
City Councilwoman Lena Tam’s attorney [...]

Southern California: Alleged Brown Act violation by school district during teleconferencing

The Orange Unified School District board of trustees has allegedly violated the Brown Act, California’s open meeting act in failing to observe the rules governing teleconferencing votes. According to the act, all votes during teleconference must be rollcall votes. -db
Greater Orange News Service
July 26, 2010
With Trustee Kim Nichols participating in the June 10, 2010 OUSD [...]

Tulare supervisors admit open meeting law violations in holding lunch meetings

In a court filing, the Tulare County supervisors admitted violating California’s open meetings law in holding regular lunch meetings they had earlier claimed were only to bolster their esprit de corp.
Tulare supervisors admit open meeting law violations in  holding lunch meetings
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100721/NEWS01/7210323/Court-filing-Tulare-County-Board-of-Supervisors-admitted-violations-to-open-meetings-law
Visalia Times-Deta
July 21, 2010
By Valerie Gibbons
A new court filing argues that Tulare County supervisors admitted [...]

Southern California: Azusa quarry challenged on open meetings issue

Pasadena Star-News
Duarte intends to make courts decide the fate of Azusa Rock Quarry
By Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Posted: 07/23/2010 07:15:06 PM PDT
DUARTE – The city is going to take legal action against Azusa over a recently approved plan to
mine part of the Azusa Rock Quarry near Duarte’s border.
City Council members at their meeting Thursday voted unanimously [...]

Iowans lack clear relief when open government requests are denied

Public records requests are often denied to citizens of Iowa, who have no way to ensure that the state’s Sunshine Laws are properly followed.  -SMD
The Iowa Independent
News/Commentary
July 12, 2010
By Adam B. Sullivan
From rural township boards to the governor’s office, each level of government in Iowa is responsible for carrying out the state’s open records and open [...]

Stockton: Grand Jury finds three college board trustees in violation of California’s open meetings law

The County Grand Jury has recommended that three members of the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees be censured for violating the Brown Act,the state’s open meetings law. -db

The Record
June 29, 2010
By Jennifer Torres
STOCKTON — Three members of the San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees should be censured for violating the state’s open-meetings [...]

Northern California: College trustee accuses professors of open meeting violation

A college of the Redwoods trustee has alleged that the Academic Senate violated California’s open meeting law, the Brown Act, by holding secret meetings. The salvo is part of an ongoing dispute between the professors and the trustees over budget cuts. -db
The North Coast Journal
June 24, 2010
By Ryan Burns

College of the Redwoods Trustee George Truett [...]

Sunnyvale: Grand Jury claimed city council violated state open meeting law

A Santa Clara County grand jury reported that the Sunnyvale City Council violated the Brown Act, California’s open government law by appointing an interim council member in 2009 without providing adequate public notice. -db
San Jose Mercury News
June 22, 2010
By John dugan
The Sunnyvale City Council violated the Brown Act, California’s open government policy, when it appointed [...]

A&A: Shining A Light on Secretive Golf-Course Committee

Q: In our California community a golf course authority has been set up with a board of directors that is composed of city staff members (subordinates of the city manager), the city manager, an appointee of the city manager, and an appointee of the development company that developed the area around [...]

Tulare: Suit brought over alleged violations of open meeting and public records laws

Eight Tulare citizens filed suit over actions by the city council who met twice in closed session to discuss the city manager’s complaints against a councilman. The lawsuit holds among other things that the closed session did not meet conditions of the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, for holding a closed session. -db

Tulare Advance-Register
June [...]

Adelanto: School board member alleges Brown Act violation

A member of the Adelanto School District board claims that the superintendent and board president committed the district to the second round of the Race to the Top program without public discussion. -db

Victor Valley Daily Press
June 14, 2010
By Natasha Lindstrom
ADELANTO, Calif. – A member of the Adelanto School District Board of Trustees is accusing [...]

Lodi: School district interviews said to violate district’s own open meeting bylaw

The Lodi Unified School District trustees held closed-door interviews for board openings and selected two finalists. The only problem was that in doing so they violated a long standing bylaw to hold the interviews in a public meeting. -db

Lodi News-Sentinel
June 11, 2010
By Jennifer Bonnett
Three Lodi Unified School District trustees finished closed-door interviews of applicants for [...]

Hughson: Six challengers run in recall election over Brown Act violations

Six Hughson citizens have stepped up to run for seats on the City Council in the August recall election. -db

The Turlock Journal
June 11, 2010
By Maegan Martens
At the end of the candidacy filing period on Thursday, six Hughson residents submitted their applications to fight for a seat on the City Council in the Aug. 24 recall [...]

Brown Act: Editorial opposes change to open meeting law

To save government agencies money, the Senate Budget Committee wants to suspend the requirement that agendas be posted 72 hours in advance. -db

Merced Sun-Star
Editorial
June. 11, 2010
The same money problems that saw 2009 become the newspaper industry’s worst financial year in history now threaten a key part of the public’s right to know.
The state Senate’s Budget [...]

Fontana: Mayor concerned about outbursts during meetings

The Fontana City Council is faced with the problem of enforcing the city’s law against citizens’ interrupting a meeting while upholding free speech rights and the Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. -db
Contra Costa Times
June 9, 2010
By Josh Dulaney
FONTANA – It may not be a high crime, but heckling during City Council meetings might be [...]

Del Mar: Parents want school board to fulfill campaign promises for open government and full transparency

Four parents have criticized the Del Mar Unified School District Board of Trustees for not allowing the community a reasonable opportunity to weigh in on the selection of a new superintendent. They say that bending the state’s open meeting law, the Brown Act, is not responsible leadership. -db

Del Mar Times
May 26, 2010
By Suzanne Hall, [...]

Los Angeles supervisors’ meeting on Capitol Hill said to violate California open meeting law

Full Disclosure Network, a cable news outlet, charged that their reporter and a camera crew were illegally ejected from meetings in which five members of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors met with Senators Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and members of Congress. -db

PR Newswire
June 7, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. – /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Ten Capitol Hill meetings [...]

Newspaper publisher association urges newspapers to defend Brown Act

Noting that the state legislature is currently considering weakening provisions of the Brown Act, the California Newspaper Publishers Association has asked newspapers to run editorials in support of fully funding the Brown Act so that government agencies must post an agenda 72 hours in advance and then stick to it. -db

California Newspaper Publishers Association
Opinion
June 4, [...]

San Diego schools admits to error in alerting media of two meetings

After a prompting from a reporter, the San Diego Unified School District acknowledged that they had to post and notify the media of all meetings 24 hours in advance. The Board of Trustees had posted notices for two meetings properly but failed to give the media adequate notice. -db

San Diego News Network
Opinion
June 3, 2010
By Marsha [...]

San Leandro schools holds up action on new superintendent’s title for public comment

The San Leandro School Board approved a contract for a new superintendent but did not remove the interim tag from his title so that the public could have a chance to give their input on the promotion. -db

East Bay The Citizen.com
June 3, 2010
By Steven Tavares
San Leandro Interim Superintendent Cindy Cathey received a new contract [...]

Open government a campaign issue in California county

Candidates in Tulare County supervisor districts 4 and 5 are weighing in on open government as citizens have been questioning whether supervisors’ actions adhere to the spirit and letter of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. -db

Visalia Times-Delta
June 3, 2010
By David Y. Castellon

The state’s open government laws are a major talking point [...]

A&A: Public Comment Limits Don’t Allow Time To Make Case

Q: Our Irrigation District Board asks for input from the pubilc on agenda items. However, the Board puts a five-minute limit on each individual. The staff has no limits on discussion time, but members of the audience are limited, even when making a case that disagrees with what staff is recommending. [...]

Laney College student government alleged to have held secret meetings for the last three years

A Laney College administrator is investigating allegations that the student government has held secret meetings in the violation of the Brown Act, the state’s open meeting law. Some thought that discussion meetings could be closed to the public, but the student body government’s constitution says that it must comply with the Brown Act. -db

Laney Tower
May [...]

Schwarzenegger wants to halt reimbursement to local governments for open government costs

Unable to pay the last $300,000 in a $20 million reimbursement to local governments for the costs of posting agendas and providing copies of documents, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing in his budget that the state no longer require local governments to inform the public but still hold them to providing public access to documents [...]

Taft City Council under fire for alleged violation of open meeting act

A Grand Jury report says that a letter by a three person majority of the Taft City Council to one of their fellow councilmen asking him to refrain from commenting publicly about harassment charges against two councilmen could violate the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law. -db

The Taft Independent
May 19, 2010

The Kern County Grand Jury [...]

San Jose City College community questions whether Board of Trustees violated state’s open meeting law

Concerned citizens in the City College community questioned whether the San Jose City College Board of Trustees allowed the public a chance to give their input on a salary increase hastily passed in an emergency meeting that some say was not announced 72 hours in advance -db
City College Times
Commentary
May 12, 2010
By Charles Becker
An emergency closed [...]

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