Calif. opens up meeting records but governor vetoes bill aimed at quashing 'serial meetings'

California journalists and citizens who put a priority on open government won one and lost one as their legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, right, probably wrapped up legislative business relating to freedom of information and open meetings.

Schwarzenegger vetoed Senate Bill 964, which would have overturned a 2006 appellate court decision that may have gutted the state law which bars a majority of a public agency to use a series of communications to “develop a collective concurrence” about action to be taken on a public issue. The bill passed by margins "large enough to override the governor's veto, some Republican Senators could peel off -- if they want to defer to the governor," writes Frank Russo, publisher of California Progress Report. (Read more)

Schwarzenegger said "It is of the utmost importance to ensure openness and transparency of local government decision making," but said the bill "imposes an impractical standard for compliance on local officials and could potentially prohibit communication among officials and agency staff outside of a public meeting. I urge the Legislature to consider legislation next year that more judiciously addresses the problem of serial meetings." The bill was opposed by the California School Districts Association, school administrators and community colleges. For more information from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, click here.

Schwarzenegger signed legislation supported by CNPA to improve public access to late-filed documents. SB 343, passed without dissent, would "require any writing relating to an agenda item of a regular meeting that is distributed within 72 hours of the meeting to be made available for public inspection at the time it is distributed to the members of the body," reports the CNPA Legislative Bulletin. An agency can comply by making the writing available at a designated location or by posting it on the agency’s Web site "in a position and manner that makes it clear that the writing relates to an item on an upcoming agenda," the Bulletin reports. "SB 343 attempts to halt the practice of local agencies using documents for deliberations and actions in open session which the public has not had an opportunity to review prior to the meeting." (Read more)