Though state law requiring the posting of meeting agendas and other notification requirements has been put into place, the City of Pleasant Hill will continue to notify the public of all meetings as it currently does.
"There will be no change in the current policy and procedures for posting agendas by the City of Pleasant Hill," said Public Information Officer Martin Nelis. "We endeavor to go above and beyond the public noticing requirements for all of our public meetings."
He cited use of the large A-frame signs that the city uses to post notification and information about major issues, a policy adopted by the City Council and not required by the Brown Act.
"As well as posting our agendas at certain physical locations, we also post on the city website and send out an automatic notification to those subscribers on our “Notify Me” listserve when these agendas and accompanying documents are available for viewing," Nelis added.
Meanwhile, a Sacramento-based organization launched a petition drive Sunday to amend the California constitution to ensure that municipal meeting agendas continue to be offered to the public.
In June, the state Legislature gave California cities and counties the option of not posting meeting agendas and other reports to save money. This action suspended a key provision of the Brown Act, which requires California cities, counties, school boards and special districts to conduct their meetings openly.
On Sunday, Californians Aware launched a petition drive to place a proposition on the statewide ballot.
"Even though the law might not hold public officials accountable for no longer posting agendas or providing adequate descriptions of items on them, angry voters would hold them accountable, and political exposure has always been a far more powerful motivator of Brown Act compliance than legal exposure," stated Californians Aware on its website.
There is also a bill that would preserve the Brown Act provisions, but it remains in limbo in the Assembly Appropriations Committee after the state Senate passed it.
To read more about the petition, click here.
