Open government at heart of budget cut
California's 59-year-old Ralph M. Brown Act is meant to ensure open and accessible government. These days, it also shows how convoluted the state can be.
A key feature of the act - that local elected bodies and commissions must post their meeting agendas in advance - was suspended as part of the new state budget, a bookkeeping move that could save the state $96 million in 2012-13.
By saying it won't pick up the tab for local government to spread the word, the state appears to have removed the legal obligation of local governments to publicize the details of future meetings. But the obligation will return if voters approve the tax increase sought this November by Gov. Jerry Brown - and many local officials, at least in the Bay Area, say the issue is moot because the reality of today's society is the push for more access, not less.
"The public would not allow us to hold meetings in a back room anymore," said Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia. "In this business, nothing is private. Everything is public."
full: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/place/article/Open-government-at-heart-of-budget-cut-3707501.php