CHAPTER 9. Meetings

Chapter 9 added by Stats. 1953, Ch. 1588.

§§ 54950–54963 · 68 sections

§ 54950 In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist…
§ 54950.5 This chapter shall be known as the Ralph M. Brown Act.
§ 54951 As used in this chapter, “local agency” means a county, city, whether general law or chartered, city and county, town, school district, municipal corporation,…
§ 54952 As used in this chapter, “legislative body” means: (a) The governing body of a local agency or any other local body created by state or federal statute. (b) A…
§ 54952.1 Any person elected to serve as a member of a legislative body who has not yet assumed the duties of office shall conform his or her conduct to the requirements…
§ 54952.2 (a) As used in this chapter, “meeting” means any congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and location, including…
§ 54952.3 (a) A legislative body that has convened a meeting and whose membership constitutes a quorum of any other legislative body may convene a meeting of that other…
§ 54952.6 As used in this chapter, “action taken” means a collective decision made by a majority of the members of a legislative body, a collective commitment or promise…
§ 54952.7 A local agency shall provide a copy of this chapter to any person elected or appointed to serve as a member of a legislative body of the local agency.
§ 54953 (a) All meetings of the legislative body of a local agency shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the…
§ 54953.1 The provisions of this chapter shall not be construed to prohibit the members of the legislative body of a local agency from giving testimony in private before…
§ 54953.2 All meetings of a legislative body of a local agency that are open and public shall meet the protections and prohibitions contained in Section 202 of the…
§ 54953.3 A member of the public shall not be required, as a condition to attendance at a meeting of a legislative body of a local agency, to register his or her name,…
§ 54953.4 (a) The Legislature finds and declares that public access, including through translation of agendas as required by this section, is necessary for an informed…
§ 54953.5 (a) Any person attending an open and public meeting of a legislative body of a local agency shall have the right to record the proceedings in the absence of a…
§ 54953.6 No legislative body of a local agency shall prohibit or otherwise restrict the broadcast of its open and public meetings in the absence of a reasonable finding…
§ 54953.7 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, legislative bodies of local agencies may impose requirements upon themselves which allow greater access to their…
§ 54953.8 (a) The legislative body of a local agency may use teleconferencing as authorized by subdivision (b) of Section 54953 without complying with the requirements…
§ 54953.8.1 (a) A health authority may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8, provided that it complies with the requirements of that section. (b)…
§ 54953.8.2 (a) A legislative body of a local agency may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8 during a proclaimed state of emergency or local…
§ 54953.8.3 (a) A legislative body of a local agency may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8 if, during the teleconference meeting, at least a…
§ 54953.8.4 (a) An eligible neighborhood council may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8, provided that it complies with the requirements of that…
§ 54953.8.5 (a) An eligible community college student organization may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8, provided that it complies with the…
§ 54953.8.6 (a) An eligible subsidiary body may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8, provided that it complies with the requirements of that…
§ 54953.8.7 (a) An eligible multijurisdictional body may conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to Section 54953.8, provided that it complies with the requirements of…
§ 54954 (a) Each legislative body of a local agency, except for advisory committees or standing committees, shall provide, by ordinance, resolution, bylaws, or by…
§ 54954.1 Any person may request that a copy of the agenda, or a copy of all the documents constituting the agenda packet, of any meeting of a legislative body be mailed…
§ 54954.2 (a) (1) At least 72 hours before a regular meeting, the legislative body of the local agency, or its designee, shall post an agenda that meets all of the…
§ 54954.3 (a) (1) Every agenda for regular meetings shall provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body on any item of…
§ 54954.4 (a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that Section 12 of Chapter 641 of the Statutes of 1986, authorizing reimbursement to local agencies and school…
§ 54954.5 For purposes of describing closed session items pursuant to Section 54954.2, the agenda may describe closed sessions as provided below. No legislative body or…
§ 54954.6 (a) (1) Before adopting any new or increased general tax or any new or increased assessment, the legislative body of a local agency shall conduct at least one…
§ 54955 The legislative body of a local agency may adjourn any regular, adjourned regular, special or adjourned special meeting to a time and place specified in the…
§ 54955.1 Any hearing being held, or noticed or ordered to be held, by a legislative body of a local agency at any meeting may by order or notice of continuance be…
§ 54956 (a) (1) A special meeting may be called at any time by the presiding officer of the legislative body of a local agency, or by a majority of the members of the…
§ 54956.5 (a) For purposes of this section, “emergency situation” means both of the following: (1) An emergency, which shall be defined as a work stoppage, crippling…
§ 54956.6 No fees may be charged by the legislative body of a local agency for carrying out any provision of this chapter, except as specifically authorized by this…
§ 54956.7 Whenever a legislative body of a local agency determines that it is necessary to discuss and determine whether an applicant for a license or license renewal,…
§ 54956.75 (a) Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the legislative body of a local agency that has received a confidential final draft audit…
§ 54956.8 Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a legislative body of a local agency may hold a closed session with its negotiator prior to the purchase,…
§ 54956.81 Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a legislative body of a local agency that invests pension funds may hold a closed session to consider the…
§ 54956.86 Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a legislative body of a local agency which provides services pursuant to Section 14087.3 of the Welfare…
§ 54956.87 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the records of a health plan that is licensed pursuant to the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act…
§ 54956.9 (a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a legislative body of a local agency, based on advice of its legal counsel, from holding a closed…
§ 54956.95 (a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a joint powers agency formed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 5 of…
§ 54956.96 (a) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the legislative body of a joint powers agency formed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section…
§ 54956.97 Notwithstanding any provision of law, the governing board, or a committee of the governing board, of a public bank, as defined in Section 57600 of the…
§ 54956.98 (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) “Shareholder, member, or owner local agency” or “shareholder, member, or owner”…
§ 54957 (a) (1) This chapter does not prevent the legislative body of a local agency from holding closed sessions with the Governor, Attorney General, district…
§ 54957.1 (a) The legislative body of any local agency shall publicly report any action taken in closed session and the vote or abstention on that action of every member…
§ 54957.2 (a) The legislative body of a local agency may, by ordinance or resolution, designate a clerk or other officer or employee of the local agency who shall then…
§ 54957.5 (a) Agendas of public meetings are disclosable public records under the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title…
§ 54957.6 (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a legislative body of a local agency may hold closed sessions with the local agency’s designated…
§ 54957.7 (a) Prior to holding any closed session, the legislative body of the local agency shall disclose, in an open meeting, the item or items to be discussed in the…
§ 54957.8 (a) For purposes of this section, “multijurisdictional law enforcement agency” means a joint powers entity formed pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with…
§ 54957.9 In the event that any meeting is willfully interrupted by a group or groups of persons so as to render the orderly conduct of the meeting unfeasible and order…
§ 54957.95 (a) (1) In addition to authority exercised pursuant to Sections 54954.3 and 54957.9, the presiding member of the legislative body conducting a meeting or their…
§ 54957.96 (a) The existing authority of a legislative body or its presiding officer to remove or limit participation by persons who engage in behavior that actually…
§ 54957.10 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a legislative body of a local agency may hold closed sessions to discuss a local agency employee’s application for…
§ 54958 The provisions of this chapter shall apply to the legislative body of every local agency notwithstanding the conflicting provisions of any other state law.
§ 54959 Each member of a legislative body who attends a meeting of that legislative body where action is taken in violation of any provision of this chapter, and where…
§ 54960 (a) The district attorney or any interested person may commence an action by mandamus, injunction, or declaratory relief for the purpose of stopping or…
§ 54960.1 (a) The district attorney or any interested person may commence an action by mandamus or injunction for the purpose of obtaining a judicial determination that…
§ 54960.2 (a) The district attorney or any interested person may file an action to determine the applicability of this chapter to past actions of the legislative body…
§ 54960.5 A court may award court costs and reasonable attorney fees to the plaintiff in an action brought pursuant to Section 54960, 54960.1, or 54960.2 where it is…
§ 54961 (a) No legislative body of a local agency shall conduct any meeting in any facility that prohibits the admittance of any person, or persons, on the basis of…
§ 54962 Except as expressly authorized by this chapter, or by Sections 1461, 1462, 32106, and 32155 of the Health and Safety Code, or by Sections 37606, 37606.1, and…
§ 54963 (a) A person may not disclose confidential information that has been acquired by being present in a closed session authorized by Section 54956.7, 54956.8,…