April 2, 2002 MOTION BY SUPERVISOR ZEV
YAROSLAVSKY
The Board has scheduled a special order of business at its
meeting of April 2, 2002 in order to discuss Los Angeles County’s adherence to the
Ralph M. Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, and the principles of open
government. County staff have been asked to make presentations and the public has
been invited to present its views. I would like to place before the public for its
consideration, and before the Board for its approval at the conclusion of the April 2
meeting, a series of measures that will greatly improve the ability of the public to
access information about the workings of County government and to influence County
decisions and policies. It is my hope and firm expectation that at the conclusion of
the meeting, the Board will not only adopt these measures, but take other action in
response to issues raised at the meeting by members of the public and by County staff.
I, THEREFORE, MOVE that the Board of
Supervisors place the following items on the April 2, 2002 agenda for action as part of
the Special Order of Business at 11:00 am.
1. The Chief Administrative Officer and County Counsel are
directed to prepare amendments to County policy to provide that meetings of Board
deputies, called to discuss matters which have been calendared for Board of Supervisors
action, shall be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act,
regardless of whether or not such meetings are covered by the Ralph M. Brown Act.
2. The Executive Officer is instructed to post on the County’s
web page all documents that are part of the official transmittal of any Board agenda item
as soon as they are available. This should include not only the Board letters (which
are already posted) but also departmental backup materials that are part of the official
file
3. The Chief Administrative Officer is directed to arrange
for the posting of complete, proof-read transcripts of Board of Supervisors’ meetings
on the Board’s web page, with hyperlinks to related items accompanying the transcript
(if possible). I am advised that the County’s current contractor for Board
telecasts is prepared to place a fully proofed transcript and accompanying streaming video
of Board meetings on line within 24 hours of a meeting at a cost of $750 per meeting.
The CAO should ensure that a mechanism is put into place to ensure that insofar as
possible names of individuals, organizations and agencies are presented and spelled
correctly.
4. Each Department Head is directed to adopt a policy for
releasing official documents to the public which is similar to the existing policy of the
Chief Administrative Officer. Under the CAO’s policy, Board letters and Board
memoranda are made available to the public immediately upon release both at the CAO’s
Public Information Office at the Hall of Administration, and on the CAO’s World Wide
Web page. Every County department should report its compliance with this policy back
to the Board within four weeks.
5. The Executive Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and
County Counsel are directed to prepare the necessary documents to renew for another 10
years the Board’s policy explicitly directing Departments to expeditiously honor
press requests, and to post that policy on the County’s public Web site. The
CAO is further directed to conduct annual seminars on this policy with all department
heads to ensure that they remain fully informed of its contents and up to date on the
continuing importance and priority that the Board has placed on this policy.
6. In order to avoid violations of the Brown Act by County
Commissions, which according to information received by my office have on occasion
withheld certain agenda materials from the public, the Executive Officer and County
Counsel are instructed to prepare materials and conduct annual seminars for staff to all
County bodies that operate under the Brown Act, including Commissions, Committees, and
Task Forces, and for the Chairpersons of each such body, to ensure that they adhere to all
provisions of the Brown Act.
7. The Chief Administrative Officer and County Counsel are
directed to prepare amendments to County policy to provide that no department head,
employee or consultant shall be required to obey any directive from the Board of
Supervisors that would violate any provision of federal, state or local law in pursuit of
any County objective; and to provide that this policy may be used by any department head,
employee or consultant as a defense against disciplinary action imposed for refusing to
follow such a directive.
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