Trustees get Brown Act refresher; presenter warns that email, texts and social-media interactions can create unlawful 'serial meetings'

Attorney Cynthia Smith reviewed California’s Brown Act with Stockton Unified School District trustees on Friday evening, warning that a series of private communications among a majority of board members — including email, text or social-media posts — can amount to an unlawful "serial meeting." The special meeting included a question-and-answer period and a short governance team-building exercise led by Vice President Jada Priest.

Smith opened by tracing the Brown Act’s purpose and history and said the law and related provisions in the California Government Code and the Public Records Act exist to keep local government deliberations open to the public. "A meeting occurs whenever a majority of the legislative body gathers at the same time and place to hear, discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item within the subject matter jurisdiction of the local agency," she said, emphasizing that unintentional gatherings outside the public view can still violate the law.

Why it matters: The presentation clarified practical steps trustees should take to avoid inadvertent…