Legal News

L.A. county D.A. bombards Brown Act violators with warnings

By Richard Binder

For more than 50 years, California's open meetings law, the Brown Act, has required members of city councils, school boards and a host of other local government agencies to conduct business in public. Every state gives the public the right to attend government meetings and limits what officials can decide in secret. But experts say California's law goes further than some, giving the public the right to speak at agency meetings.

Since 2001, prosecutors have sent more than 50 letters in response to public complaints, warning government officials that they acted illegally. District attorney's officials frequently threatened civil court action or criminal charges if the violations continued.

Among the actions prosecutors have faulted are the shutting off of a critic's microphone during a meeting and the hiring of a "facilitator" to poll council members about an issue so that they would not have to formally meet on it.

No one has been prosecuted, but some agencies have been required to publicly reverse decisions made in secret.

Some city attorneys say they feel they have been unfairly treated and complain that prosecutors sometimes see violations where none exist. But activists for open government say the warnings will show that too many local agencies embrace a culture of secrecy.

Full story at LA Times.  Click here for an editorial on the subject.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on April 13, 2009 (boomark / email).