So you’re called to testify before the grand jury about something you witnessed — saw or heard — regarding an investigation before them. While you’re there, they admonish you that you may not reveal anything that took place while you were at the grand jury, which questions were asked or what responses were given, or…
By Peter Scheer, Executive Director First Amendment Coalition Prop 42, on the ballot for California’s June 4 election, will amend the Constitution to assure that local governments are legally bound to observe open-government requirements. If you prefer transparency to secrecy in your city government, local school board or county government, then the choice is…
In his letter published last week in the Town Crier, Mr. Gogerty clearly disagrees with the California attorney general and with California courts as to what constitutes a meeting under the Brown Act. The AG’s website includes an informative pamphlet summarizing the Brown Act, which states at page 8: “The definition of the term ‘meeting’…
This is the first in a series of editorial articles explaining the major provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s local-government open-meeting laws. This week’s article addresses some of the more basic questions and answers. The “Ralph M. Brown Act” is the official statutory name for California Government Code sections 54950 through 54963. These…