Summary: Thursday, January 29, 2015 I follow local government and land use issues around the Monterey Bay, but I also pay attention to what is going on elsewhere. Today, let me report on a rule recently adopted by the Palo Alto City Council. I think that the Palo Alto City Council has a good idea. Residents in the Monterey Bay Region might want to ask their own elected representatives to adopt a similar rule. As listeners probably know, the Ralph M. Brown Act requires that all local government decision making take place in public. That requirement is critically important, if we want citizens to know what their government is actually doing. The Brown Act, however, does have some exceptions, and Boards and Councils are allowed to go into “closed sessions,” where the public is excluded, to address litigation, property negotiations, and personnel matters. A listing of what will be discussed is placed on the agenda for the public to see Just because local governments “may” go into closed sessions, however, doesn’t mean that they have to, or even that they should. In Palo Alto, a new rule requires an official vote of the Council before the Council goes into a closed session. That means that a decision to exclude the public is, itself, a matter for public discussion and decision. It’s not taken for granted. Check out the link in today’s Land Use Report blog, at kusp.org/landuse. More Information: Land Use Links Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog Ralph M. Brown Act League of Cities Guide to the Brown Act Palo Alto Online – Article on New Closed Session Rules
