Ralph M. Brown Act

CEQA Determination Is Item of Business That Must Be Agendized Under Brown Act, Fifth District Holds

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

To Comply With The Brown Act, Consideration Of A CEQA Document Must Be Listed As A Separate Agenda Item From Consideration Of...

A county planning commission posted a meeting agenda that included an item on a potential approval of a subdivision application. At the meeting, the commission not only approved the subdivision, it also approved a Mitigated...more

Local Legislative Bodies Must Expressly Agendize CEQA Documents - County Planning Commission Failed to Include Project-Related...

Overview: The California Court of Appeal recently held that the state’s open meeting law (the Brown Act) requires that, if a document under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) must be approved by a local...more

AB 1344 Addresses Employment Contracts, Open Meetings Notice, and Penalties for Misuse of Public Office

Assembly Bill 1344 (“AB 1344”), signed by the Governor on October 9, 2011, made several changes to laws involving local governance. The bill was introduced in response to the City of Bell controversy. The provisions of AB...more