BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE
Senator Dave Cox, Chair
BILL NO: AB 139 HEARING: 5/5/10
AUTHOR: Brownley FISCAL: No
VERSION: 4/28/10 CONSULTANT:
Weinberger
COUNTY SUPERVISORS' MEETINGS
Background and Existing Law
County boards of supervisors must, by ordinance, provide
for holding regular board meetings at the county seat.
The Ralph M. Brown Act requires the meetings of local
governments' legislative bodies to be "open and public,"
thereby ensuring people's access to information so that
they may retain control over the public agencies that serve
them. The Brown Act requires a local agency to post an
agenda for a regular meeting of its legislative body at
least 72 hours before the meeting in a location that is
freely accessible to members of the public. The Brown Act
authorizes local legislative bodies to adjourn their
regular meetings to a time and place specified in the order
of adjournment, subject to additional notice provisions.
Two Attorney General's opinions say that county supervisors
may meet away from the county seat either by calling a
special meeting or by adjourning a regular meeting to a
specified time and place, as permitted by the Brown Act (58
Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 554 and 76 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 113).
Because some Los Angeles County residents must travel great
distances and face significant traffic delays to attend Los
Angeles County Board of Supervisors' regular meetings,
County officials believe that holding some regular board
meetings away from downtown Los Angeles would increase
public access and participation. They want legislators to
authorize counties to schedule regular meetings away from
the county seat.
Proposed Law
Assembly Bill 139 authorizes a county board of supervisors
to change the place for holding one or more regular
AB 139 -- 4/28/10 -- Page 2
meetings of the board to a location within the county other
than the county seat if both of the following occur:
The change of location of the regular meeting of the
board is adopted at a regular meeting by ordinance,
resolution, bylaw, or other rule required for the conduct
of business by the body.
Notice of the location change is posted in a location
that is freely accessible to the public no later than the
prior regular meeting of the board.
Comment
Keep government connected . Since the 19th Century, state
law has required county supervisors to meet at the county
seat to conduct regular business. In the 21st Century,
responding to large numbers of county residents who live
and work far from county seats, some county supervisors are
exploring new ways to keep county governments engaged with
the public. Holding special meetings or adjourned regular
meetings away from a county seat isn't sufficient. Special
meetings, which address limited topics, don't expose the
public to the full range of issues that county supervisors
address in regular meetings. Convening a regular meeting
at the county seat and then adjourning to a different
location is awkward and inefficient. AB 139 increases
public access to, and involvement in, county government by
authorizing boards of supervisors to schedule, and provide
advance notice of, regular meetings at locations throughout
their counties.
Assembly Actions
Assembly Local Government Committee: 5-0
Assembly Floor: 67-0
Support and Opposition (4/29/10)
Support : Los Angeles County, California State Association
of Counties, Urban Counties Caucus, Regional Council of
Rural Counties.
Opposition : Unknown.
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