Brown Act To Become Constitutional?
WORKING GROUPS TO DISBAND, BUT... UH-OH!
Just as the Costa Mesa City Council is about to disband its 2-person City Council "Working Groups" - entities that some felt were created to avoid the nasty inconvenience of having to let the public know what they were up to - our friends over at the Voice of OC blog provided us with a very interesting bit of information.
BROWN ACT GETS NEW, SHARPER DENTURES
According to Tracy Wood on that site, HERE, last week the California State Senate
UNANIMOUSLY approved a bill that would make the Ralph M. Brown Act a part of the state constitution and thereby give it sharper legal teeth. The bill apparently was sent to the Assembly where a two-thirds vote of the 80 members is required to put this bill before the voters in 2012.
NO MORE POLICIES ON BAR NAPKINS
If this bill passes it will be BAD NEWS for those elected leaders who choose to do business in the proverbial "smoke-filled rooms" - or perched on a stool in a local pub, scratching out policy on the back of soggy cocktail napkins.
SHINING LIGHT ON LAWMAKERS
If this bill passes it is GOOD NEWS for the voters and other residents of this state, who expect their leaders to follow the law and conduct public business in public.
VOTE NO, SAY ADIOS!
The Assembly v
ote on this bill should be interesting. If ANY member votes NO, then one might rightly assume that he or she would prefer NOT to have the light of day shown on the way they do business. A "No" vote on this bill will, correctly, effectively be political suicide for any member who votes that way.
DID WE "REALLY" NEED THE WORKING GROUPS?
This might make for an interesting discussion Tuesday at the Costa Mesa City Council
meeting, where the disbanding of the "Working Groups" will take place. You can read the brief staff report HERE.
Just as the Costa Mesa City Council is about to disband its 2-person City Council "Working Groups" - entities that some felt were created to avoid the nasty inconvenience of having to let the public know what they were up to - our friends over at the Voice of OC blog provided us with a very interesting bit of information.BROWN ACT GETS NEW, SHARPER DENTURES
According to Tracy Wood on that site, HERE, last week the California State Senate
UNANIMOUSLY approved a bill that would make the Ralph M. Brown Act a part of the state constitution and thereby give it sharper legal teeth. The bill apparently was sent to the Assembly where a two-thirds vote of the 80 members is required to put this bill before the voters in 2012.NO MORE POLICIES ON BAR NAPKINS
If this bill passes it will be BAD NEWS for those elected leaders who choose to do business in the proverbial "smoke-filled rooms" - or perched on a stool in a local pub, scratching out policy on the back of soggy cocktail napkins.
SHINING LIGHT ON LAWMAKERSIf this bill passes it is GOOD NEWS for the voters and other residents of this state, who expect their leaders to follow the law and conduct public business in public.
VOTE NO, SAY ADIOS!
The Assembly v
ote on this bill should be interesting. If ANY member votes NO, then one might rightly assume that he or she would prefer NOT to have the light of day shown on the way they do business. A "No" vote on this bill will, correctly, effectively be political suicide for any member who votes that way.DID WE "REALLY" NEED THE WORKING GROUPS?
This might make for an interesting discussion Tuesday at the Costa Mesa City Council
meeting, where the disbanding of the "Working Groups" will take place. You can read the brief staff report HERE.Labels: Brown Act, Voice of OC
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 6/06/2011 02:06:00 PM
3 Comments:
The Brown Act has proven a surprisingly useful piece of legislation (except in Irvine where the Great Park Board ignores it) as a vehicle to keep City Councils and similar bodies from meeting, plotting and/or conspiring outside of public meetings.
It has a shortcoming, tho, and would be even more effective if it was used to keep elected representatives out of shadowy lobbying groups like the League of Cities and the Association of California Cities - Orange County.
As I pointed out in this Fountain Valley Patch Opinion -- http://bit.ly/kAKN76 -- it's inappropriate that City Council members are compensated to attend meetings that city residents and the public must PAY to attend. This is hardly open, representative government when these UNELECTED "Psuedo Governments" meet to discuss and set policy that we plebes can't hear, observe and comment upon.
We need a new act that involves the tech of today.
Tech coversations are happening while the public is ignored. Something like a text saying.
How are you going to vote?
or I' ll bring up fireworks if you bring up Wendy's daughter. Remote viewing allows gop leaders to influence the dias with experts, lawyers too. Invisible strings and no telepromter
Brown act .....Schmown Act.......They own T-Rack the DA, and Dave Ellis Chairman of the OC FairBoard is in bed with the current council, Ellis has already wrote this Aria.........The Brown Act is like getting a speeding ticket,........and whats that?, when you're controlling a hundred plus million$$ ? Not too mention bucking for a twenty year career in politics..........Righeimer needs to be stoppped.
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