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Attorney briefs commission on Brown Act: avoid serial meetings, social-media deliberations and ensure clear agenda descriptions
Summary
An attorney delivered Brown Act training, emphasizing that a majority meeting to deliberate must be noticed, serial communications can violate the law, social-media reactions by a majority about city business can constitute a violation, and that agendas must describe actions clearly (72/24-hour notice rules).
Laura, a legal trainer, told the commission that all meetings of a legislative body generally must be open and noticed under the Brown Act and reviewed practical examples of what constitutes a "meeting." She said the law is intended to prevent undisclosed deliberations and to allow public participation.
"All meetings of the legislative body of a local agency shall be open in public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the legislative body of a local agency except as otherwise provided in this chapter," Laura said, citing the Brown Act’s core principle and the statute’s origin in the Ralph M. Brown legislation.
She explained key points commissioners should…
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