DE Under 3: Behind the Scenes of EEOC’s Full Commission Hearing
Government in the Virtual World: A Look at Public Meetings and Hearings
Ethics Laws and the Importance of Transparency for Public Officials
The Legislature passed three bills in 2022 that made changes to the Ralph M. Brown Act (“Brown Act”) effective January 1, 2023, summarized below. The Brown Act requires meetings of a local public agency’s governing body to be...more
In March of 2021, the City of Thousand Oaks posted an agenda for its regular City Council meeting in which it was stated that the City would consider awarding a new exclusive solid waste management franchise agreement. During...more
In a published opinion filed October 26, 2022, the Second District Court of Appeal (Div. 6) appears to have significantly expanded the reach of both the Brown Act and the procedural requirements of CEQA in holding, on an...more
New Law Permits Local Governments to Continue to Meet Remotely Until 2024 - California’s historic open meeting law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires that local governments conduct their business in public meetings and...more
On September 30, 2021, certain COVID-related suspensions of filing, noticing, and posting deadlines and tribal consultation timelines mandated by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and CEQA Guidelines and certain...more
In March 2020, in response to the COVID-19 public health crisis, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-29-20, suspending open public meeting requirements under the Brown Act and Bagley-Keene Act thereby allowing state and...more
Plaintiff’s Brown Act claims were barred because unreasonable delay in prosecuting the lawsuit substantially prejudiced parties and the general public. Julian Volunteer Fire Company Association v. Julian-Cuyamaca Fire...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued multiple orders affecting how and under what conditions state and local agencies may meet and discuss and/or approve of contracts for services and products during the coronavirus...more
Governor Issues New Executive Order Excusing Physical Location Requirements for Public Comment and Observation for Public Meetings - California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order (N-29-20), which, in part, supersedes...more
Gov. Gavin Newsom waived certain provisions of the Bagley-Keene Act and Ralph M. Brown Act to make state and local legislative bodies safer while allowing California public entities to conduct business....more
On March 11, Governor Newsom issued a wide-ranging Executive Order in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Some provisions aim to encourage social distancing by banning large gatherings and temporarily suspending...more
As the situation concerning COVID-19 continues to evolve, we wanted to be sure you were aware of several recent developments related to the water sector in California....more
In response to the developing concern regarding the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), on March 12, 2020 Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-25-20 (the “Order”). Among other things, the Order provides...more
California Governor Issues Executive Order Cancelling Large Gatherings and Suspending Certain Portions of the Brown Act - Today, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an emergency Executive Order to further the State’s...more
Today, in light of public health concerns due to COVID-19, Governor Newsom issued an Executive Order suspending certain Brown Act rules....more
While the Ralph M. Brown Act provides a “committee exception” to the public comment requirement for public entities’ regular meetings, the exception does not apply to special meetings, a California appellate court said in a...more
Public entities can place reasonable time restrictions on public comment at their meetings as long as the time restrictions do not violate state or federal law, a California appellate court said in a fairly sweeping decision....more
In 2016, the State Legislature enacted Assembly Bill 2257 (Government Code section 54954.2) to update the Ralph M. Brown Act with new requirements applicable to meeting agenda postings on local agency websites. The Brown Act,...more
CEQA Case Report: Understanding the Judicial Landscape for Development - In an unpublished opinion issued January 31, 2018, Citizens for Open & Public Participation v. City of Montebello, Case No. B277060, the California...more
As the national political climate heated up recently, some local governments are facing spillover effects, with local and sometimes even out-of-town activists and provocateurs attending city council, school board and other...more
Substance Over Form—A Refreshing Application of CEQA Analysis: City of Irvine v. County of Orange (2015) 283 Cal.App.4th 526 - Why It Matters: The Court of Appeal in City of Irvine v. County of Orange elaborated...more
Closed Session Decision and Vote Details Must be Publicly Reported Within 24 Hours - Pasadena City College is facing criticism — and a lawsuit — for its preceived lack of transparency regarding its Board of Trustees’...more
Meeting management is big business for governments at every level, and the recent enactment of SB 751 has many public agencies reviewing the policies and tools they use to manage their public meetings. SB 751 requires...more
Matthew "Mal" Richardson, who serves as city attorney of Stanton and assistant city attorney of Lake Forest, talks about the Brown Act, ethics training for public officials and other important laws and regulations that ensure...more
In a partially-published opinion, the Fifth District Court of Appeal held that the Merced County Planning Commission’s failure to mention in its posted agenda that it was considering adoption of a mitigated negative...more