LA County District Attorney George Gascon acquits city of Brown Act complaints
by Garth Meyer Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has exonerated the City of Redondo Beach from complaints that it violated the Brown Act in two instances this summer, though telling the city it violated the “spirit” of the public meetings law. In a letter dated Sept. 8, Gascon referred to meetings which included the appointment of a new mayor pro-tem and the setting of a Special Election for Oct. 19. “Although it is arguable, we do not find that the actions at issue here necessarily constituted a violation of the Brown Act,” Gascon wrote. The Brown Act states that a city council needs to adequately inform the public of potential action to be taken at a council meeting. This is done by posted agendas. “We take this very seriously and would take actions to correct any violations,” said Mayor Bill Brand. “Fortunately, while a close call, the District Attorney found our actions in this case did not constitute a violation of the Brown Act.” “(The district attorney’s office) basically fired a warning shot at the council,” said City Councilman Christian Horvath. The first claim of a violation occurred June 21 when the Redondo city council agenda stated an item to “adopt…
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