Local government: open meetings.

(1) The Ralph M. Brown Act requires each legislative body of a local agency to provide the time and place for holding regular meetings and requires that all meetings of a legislative body be open and public. Under the act, all persons are permitted to attend any meeting of the legislative body of a local agency, unless a closed session is authorized. Under the act, the legislative body of a local agency is authorized to hold closed sessions with the Attorney General, district attorney, agency counsel, sheriff, or chief of police, or their respective deputies, or a security consultant or a security operations manager, on matters posing a threat to the security of public buildings, a threat to the security of essential public services, as specified, or a threat to the public's right of access to public services or public facilities. This bill would authorize the legislative body of a local agency to hold these closed sessions with the Governor and other specified individuals. This bill would require a legislative body of a local agency that meets in these specified types of a closed session to include additional information in its posted agenda regarding those in attendance. (2) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. (3) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 54954.5 of the Government Code, as proposed by AB 2690 and SB 1395, to be operative depending on when these respective bills are effective and chaptered, as specified.