The Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code sections 54950-54963), referred to as the "Brown Act") is intended to provide public access to meetings of California local government agencies.
In order to achieve this objective, governmental bodies subject to the requirements of the Brown Act must provide public notice of their meetings, post agendas of the subjects to be discussed at those meetings, and provide public access to those meetings. Public notice of every meeting subject to the Brown Act is required, and access is mandatory unless the meeting is held in closed session under a specific exception contained in the Act.
However, the Brown Act is complex, and problems often arise in application. The following issues come up consistently:
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What kinds of public bodies are subject to the Act?
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Has the public body properly given notice of the matters it intends to address in the agenda for the meeting?
- What constitutes a “meeting,” and what kinds of communications among members of a legislative body are permitted outside of meetings?
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Are the exceptions permitting closed sessions being properly applied?
Kay Reimann, Counsel for the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, will present a training session on the Brown Act to the Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee.
Attached to this report is the "The ABCs of Open Government Laws" brochure.