Page 4 - Board Member Toolkit

Chapter 1

BROWN ACT

Introduction

The Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code sections 54950 –
54963) is the open meetings law for local governments in
California. The Legislature adopted the Ralph M. Brown Act,

commonly referred to as California’s “Open Meetings Law,” in
1964. The Brown Act regulates many aspects of public
meetings. The Act requires that all meetings of legislative

bodies be open to the public except for specifically authorized
closed sessions.

In November 2004, voters approved Proposition 59, which
amended the California Constitution to mandate that the
Brown Act, the state open meetings law (Bagley-Keene Open
Meetings Act), and the California Public Records Act be

broadly construed to further the public’s “right of access to
information concerning the conduct of the people’s business.”

Guide to Effective Governance 1