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Counsel advises incumbents to hold separate candidate events to avoid Sunshine Law issues, board told
Summary
District Counsel advised that incumbents should arrange separate events per seat to avoid potential Sunshine Law violations; the board discussed differing counsel opinions and possible workshop alternatives.
Chair Kathleen Lonergan read District Counsel's written response to board questions about a proposed "Coffee with Candidates" event and relayed counsel's recommendation that incumbents ensure compliance with the election code and consider organizing separate events by seat.
Lonergan read counsel's guidance aloud: "If any incumbent Supervisor is interested in participating they will need to ensure compliance with the election code and I think it would be a fair request for them to ask them to arrange separate events per seat to avoid any potential Sunshine Law violations." Vice Chair Arthur Rhodes said, under that interpretation, "our guy" would not attend. The board also noted differences between District Counsel's opinion and advice from HPCA counsel and discussed whether a workshop or other format might address legal concerns.
