April M. Rojo
Staff Writer
Richard McKee, President of Californians Aware, spoke to a group on Wednesday, Oct. 20 about the Brown Act, a state law that requires decisions by city councils, school boards and other legislative bodies to be made in open meetings.
Many are unaware of what the Brown Act governs.
“The Brown Act when read makes no sense and he made it easy to understand,” said Matt Paulson, president of the University chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which hosted the event.
The Brown Act became law more than 50 years ago.
“In 1953 the Brown Act was a four-page document. Changes have now been made and the act consists of pages and pages of law,” McKee said.
McKee shared with the group scenarios in which school districts and city councils violated the act. As an advocate, McKee has been involved with lawsuits with Bonita and Chino Valley School Districts.
He said the news media should be familiar with the Brown Act and should regularly expose government bodies who are in violation.
“A city council is doing its best when it is not in the paper,” McKee said.
Former president of the California First Amendment Coalition and professor of chemistry at Pasadena City College, McKee continues to be involved by monitoring local agencies in Southern California to ensure they are following the law.
For more information, visit www.calaware.org.
April M. Rojo can be reached at arojo@ulv.edu.
April M. Rojo
