Lassen County District Attorney S. Melyssah Rios sent an Aug. 7 letter to the Clear Creek Community Services District regarding “several referrals” her office has received over the past few months regarding “suspected or potential Brown Act violations, specific to agenda and notice requirements.”
While Rios noted her office has also received requests for an investigation into the district’s financials, her letter only addresses the alleged Brown Act violations.
Rios wrote her letter, is an opportunity to 1) provide a refresher on the parameters of the Brown Act, 2) formally request that you refrain from engaging in further actions that are outside of those parameters, and 3) formally request that any actions taken outside of Brown Act guidelines be properly agendized, or reagendized, and cured. A response or an action to cure must take place within 30 days of receipt of this letter.”
According to the district attorney’s letter, “This letter is sent properly within the scope the District Attorney as part of her public integrity function and as vested and/or required pursuant to Government Code section 54960.1(b). Our office cannot provide you with legal advice, therefore, if the district has a legal services retainer with a provider of such services, we would encourage you to confer with that person in conjunction with your review of the applicable section of the Government Code regarding public meetings.
“We appreciate your anticipated cooperation with this request and hope you found the refresher on the Brown Act to be informative.”
Rios cited the Ralph M. Brown Act, adopted in 1953 and commonly referred to as California’s Open Meeting Law, “”The people of this state do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.”
Source: Lassen News
