BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 139|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 139
Author: Brownley (D), et al
Amended: 4/28/10 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE : 5-0, 5/5/10
AYES: Cox, Aanestad, Kehoe, DeSaulnier, Price
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 67-0, 1/25/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Local government: county boards
SOURCE : Los Angeles County
DIGEST : This bill authorizes a county board of
supervisors to change the place for holding one or more
regular meetings of the board to a location within the
county other than the county seat if specified conditions
are met.
ANALYSIS : 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
CONTINUED
AB 139
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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.
This bill authorizes a county board of supervisors to
change the place for holding one or more regular meetings
of the board to a location within the county other than the
county seat if both of the following occur:
1. 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.
2. 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.
Comments
According to the Senate Local Government Committee
analysis, 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.
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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/6/10)
Los Angeles County (source)
AB 139
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California State Association of Counties
Regional Council of Rural Counties
Urban Counties Caucus
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, De La
Torre, De Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer,
Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Davis, Furutani, Hall, Harkey, Bonnie
Lowenthal, Ma, Nestande
AGB:do 5/6/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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