California Assembly Bill AB1736 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1736INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Smyth FEBRUARY 16, 2012 An act to amend Section 54950 of the Government Code, relating to local government. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1736, as introduced, Smyth. Local government: open meetings. 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 and all persons be permitted to attend unless a closed session is authorized. The act makes a statement of intent in this regard. This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to these provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 54950 of the Government Code is amended to read: 54950. In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils  ,  and the other public agencies in this  State   state  exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly. The people of this  State   state  do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies  which   that  serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created.