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Public commenter accuses officials of secrecy, raises concern that city surveillance may conflict with district 'sanctuary' position
Summary
Resident Sam Brown told the joint meeting that prior deliberations lacked publicly available records and warned that La Puente's automated license‑plate readers could expose families using shared facilities; officials said the meeting was Brown Act compliant and promised to make records available and follow counsel guidance.
A public commenter accused Bassett Unified School District and La Puente officials of insufficient transparency and warned that city surveillance systems could put district families at risk if shared facilities are opened without safeguards.
"Where is the public record? There have been no publicly posted minutes, no agendas," Sam Brown said during the public‑comment period, arguing that prior deliberations leading to the agenda item were not accessible to residents. Brown cited the Brown Act and a government‑code reference heard in remarks and called the process "legally vulnerable."
Brown also raised land‑use concerns about local sites and specifically named the Florence Flanner property as an example of denied public access. He urged that any joint‑use arrangements account for privacy and potential data sharing with regional or federal law‑enforcement partners via automated license‑plate readers.
Meeting participants responded that the joint session had been convened as a Brown Act‑compliant forum to discuss the 2023 MOU and that staff would include relevant exhibits and prior materials in future records. The Chair said the intent of the meeting was to create a public record of shared discussions and to direct staff to return with more detailed materials.
Officials did not provide a technical response about how the city’s surveillance systems operate or whether data are shared with outside agencies during the meeting. City and district staff agreed to check legal parameters and to make meeting materials available to attendees and the public.
Ending: The bodies directed staff to convene a joint ad hoc and to consult counsel about Brown Act requirements and public‑record procedures; the transcript records the allegations and the bodies’ pledge to improve disclosure, but the specific surveillance concerns were not resolved during the session.
