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Ojai Parks commissioners review duties, Brown Act rules and new SB827 training requirements
Summary
At the June 4 meeting, the commission received a mandatory training on roles, meeting procedures, the Brown Act and recent state changes (SB827) that alter ethics and harassment training timelines and recordkeeping for certain officials.
Lisa Terosian, who introduced the city’s Boards, Committees and Commissions handbook, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on June 4 that the handbook explains members’ roles, appointment procedures and the legal rules governing public meetings.
"Boards, commissions, and committees are established by the OMC," Terosian said as she reviewed appointment and nominating procedures and the advisory versus decision-making roles these bodies hold. The presentation noted that most members serve four-year terms while the youth member serves a shorter term and that a quorum is a majority of members.
The training covered meeting procedures, including Rosenberg’s rules of order for addressing the chair, permissible interruptions (points of privilege, points of order, appeals), and public input rules that emphasize not debating prior to taking public comment. Terosian also reviewed the Brown Act’s open‑meetings requirements and exemptions under the California Government Code.
Terosian highlighted recent state law changes. "SB827 also extends the ethics training mandate to all department heads or other similar administrative officers," she said, adding that the bill aligns ethics and sexual‑harassment training so required trainings must be completed within six months of starting service and that some training records must be kept longer.
Commissioners raised one point of clarification about the youth member term length; Terosian and commissioners said staff would confirm the current term rule and follow up. The presentation closed with a reminder that committee members must avoid serial meetings and should not use personal accounts for official business when it would create public‑records obligations.
The commission did not take action on the training itself; the session was presented as an operational briefing and included time for questions and follow‑up items. Commissioners requested that staff confirm the youth member term and distribute a copy of the handbook to members.
