City Council, Commissioners and Committee Members Receive Brown Act Training
Citizens Can Now See One of the City’s Brown Act Training Sessions –
The Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, has produced contentious points of view in Piedmont. To better inform elected and appointed individuals, the City scheduled two training sessions this past May 15 and May 22 for members of our City Council, commissions and committees to educate them about the Brown Act. Meeting attendance was limited to invitees. The meetings were conducted by Acting City Attorney Michelle Kenyon and her associate, Donald M. Davis, both of Burke, Williams & Sorenson, LLP.
The May 15 meeting was video taped by the City and is now available to Piedmonters. Seen in the video are answers to questions and exchanges by participants.
Watch the May 15 Piedmont Training Workshop here.
The City indicates these seminars qualified as an exception to the Brown Act public noticing requirements according to California Government Code 54952,2(c)(2).
“Nothing in this section shall impose the requirements of this chapter upon any of the following:
The attendance of a majority of the members of a legislative body at a conference or similar gathering open to the public that involves a discussion of issues of general interest to the public or to public agencies of the type represented by the legislative body, provided that a majority of the members do not discuss among themselves, other than as part of the scheduled program, business of a specified nature that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the local agency. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to allow members of the public free admission to a conference or similar gathering at which the organizers have required other participants or registrants to pay fees or charges as a condition of attendance. 54952,2(c)(2)”
