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 [...]

A&A: Charter board meetings flout Brown Act rules

Q: Can Charter Boards hold special meetings, with limited notice on just any subject? Can they go into closed session and report out publicly that no action was taken, then order the CEO to do what was decided in the closed session? Can a vote be taken to approve signature of a disclosure filing that [...]

A&A: The same agenda items on regular and “special meeting” agendas held minutes apart

Q: We had our regular agenda posted 72 hours before our city council meeting. The Mayor then called for a special meeting and moved several of the items on the regular agenda to the special meeting agenda. One of the items was an a sales tax increase which required an unanimous vote. I never opened [...]

A&A: Can I access teacher absentee rates at public school?

Q: I am just wondering how I can find out the rate of teacher absenteeism at my school. This information seems to be difficult to find, and yet absenteeism has been a big issue for my daughter’s education. She has been taught by substitute after substitute. Please advise as to what the source of this [...]

A&A: Is it a casual dinner or Brown Act violation?

Q: If 3 out of 5 school board members meet at a restaurant with a teacher or administrator for a few minutes until they noticed that I was also at the restaurant with my wife, have they violated Brown’s Act? A: Depending on exactly what transpired, the episode you describe could be a violation the [...]

A&A: Special meeting and the Brown Act

Special meeting and the Brown Act Q: The Brown Act reads in part Section 54954.3 of education code: “Every notice for a special meeting shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body concerning any item that has been described in the notice for the meeting before or during [...]

A&A: Authority to call school district special meetings

Authority to call school district special meetings Q: I attended an emergency meeting of the School District that was called not by the president but by one of the directors on behalf of the manager. The president wasn’t informed of the meeting until it was all set up and an agenda posted. The lone director [...]