County counsel, public information officer outline Brown Act duties and social‑media guidance at special training

Natalie Reed, county counsel, led a Brown Act basics training for the board this morning and stressed that the law exists to ensure transparency and public access to local government meetings. Alex Pootser, the county public information officer, followed with high‑level guidance on social media use and media relations for supervisors.

Reed summarized the Brown Act as ensuring transparency, telling attendees that public business should be conducted "in a glass house in the public's interest." She walked the board through who the Act covers — legislative bodies of local agencies, including county boards of supervisors, city councils and special district boards — and who it does not cover, such as a single department head or advisory committees not created by the board.

The presentation clarified core rules: a "meeting" occurs any time a majority of board…