Brown Act Basics
This law requires meetings of governing boards to be conducted in public, with limited exceptions for closed sessions.
What is The Brown Act?
Regular board meeting agendas must be posted this many hours in advance.
What is 72 hours?
A series of communications that results in a majority of board members discussing business outside a public meeting.
What is a serial meeting?
Meeting notices must be posted at a location freely accessible to the public and on the agency’s website.
What are the Brown Act requirements for where meeting notices must be posted?
The Brown Act guarantees the public this opportunity at board meetings.
What is public comment?
These groups are subject to the Brown Act, including LEA and COE governing boards and committees created by formal action of the board.
What are legislative bodies?
Special meetings require this much public notice before they occur.
What is 24 hours?
In this type of serial meeting, one board member contacts others individually to build consensus.
What is the hub-and-spoke model?
For special meetings, notice must be provided this many hours in advance and must be received by board members.
What is 24 hours?
During regular meetings, the public may comment on any issue within this scope.
What is the board’s subject matter jurisdiction?
When a majority of board members gather and discuss agency business, this occurs under the Brown Act.
What is a meeting?
During these meetings, the board may only discuss items listed on the agenda.
What are special meetings?
In this type of serial meeting, one member contacts another, who contacts another, and so on.
What is a daisy chain?
These items allow the board to talk through topics before potential future action.
What are discussion items?
During special meetings, public comment is limited to these.
What are agenda items?
These advisory groups follow the Leroy F. Greene Act instead of the Brown Act but still require posted agendas and public access.
What are advisory committees such as ELAC or parent advisory committees?
These agenda items are routine matters bundled together and approved with one vote unless a board member pulls for discussion.
What are consent items?
Board members should avoid this email behavior because it could create a serial meeting.
What is replying all?
Public comment can be placed at the beginning of the meeting or before this type of agenda item.
What are action items?
The public cannot be required to provide this information just to attend a meeting.
What is their name or personal information?
The main purpose of the Brown Act is to prevent these kinds of decision-making practices outside public view.
What are backroom dealings?
Agenda descriptions must be brief and general, usually around this many words.
What is about 20 words?
Even clicking “like” or commenting on posts about agency business on these platforms can violate the Brown Act.
What is social media?
The board may only take action through this type of decision-making.
What is a majority vote of the board?
If someone significantly disrupts a meeting after a warning, the board has authority to do this.
What is remove the individual from the meeting?