Larkspur City welcomes new community development director; board gets Brown Act refresher

The Larkspur City Heritage Preservation Board on Jan. 22 welcomed Andy Mogensson as the city’s new Community Development Department director and received a Brown Act refresher covering open‑meeting laws and preservation practice.

Staff introduced Mogensson and he told the board he would provide more training and presentations as needed. In a roughly hour‑long overview he reviewed core Brown Act principles: a legislative body is any majority of members acting on city business, meetings must be posted and open to the public, serial discussions outside posted meetings (daisy‑chains and hub‑and‑spoke exchanges) are prohibited, and site visits by a quorum are restricted because they can circumvent public notice requirements.

"The whole purpose of the Brown Act, of course, is to be open and transparent because the public's business has to be present, aware, and accessible," Mogensson said, summarizing the law’s intent and the reason boards must keep deliberations on the public record.

He also reviewed preservation tools: the historic resources inventory (A/B grading), the Secretary of the Interior standards and ARMR guidelines for historic‑resource reports, and the Mills Act as a tax‑relief incentive initiated by property owners. Board members asked staff to return with updates on past projects and the status of a previously proposed AT&T monopole; staff said they will follow up. Members also discussed funding for five new interpretive historic markers (a quote of roughly $20,000) and asked staff to coordinate with finance and the Larkspur Community Foundation before ordering the markers.

Mogensson said additional training would be provided in future meetings and staff offered to prepare specific project updates at the board’s request.