Manteca city attorney briefs Measure Q oversight panel on Brown Act rules, social media and records

City Attorney David DeFusi told the Measure Q Citizens Oversight Committee on May 28 that the Brown Act’s basic purpose is to give the public notice of and an opportunity to be heard at meetings of legislative bodies.

DeFusi, the city attorney for the City of Manteca, led a slide presentation that reviewed quorum requirements, what constitutes a meeting under the Brown Act, limits on serial communications and the public‑records implications of electronic messages. “For purposes of members of the public it’s providing them notice and an opportunity to be heard,” DeFusi said. “That is what it is, bread and butter.”

The training was aimed at three goals: explain how to avoid inadvertent Brown Act violations, outline what members should disclose to staff before recusing themselves or accepting ex parte contacts, and review procedural rules for public…