Email Accessibility to City Government*

The cities of Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo each have Brown Act Disclosures relating to the use of official emails on their city websites. Response: Agree in part and disagree in part. The disclosures on these cities' websites are not specifically "Brown Act" disclosures despite the passing reference to the Brown Act in these disclosures. The Brown Act governs meetings of legislative bodies such as city councils, and that Act restricts the ability of members of legislative bodies to meet with each other outside duly noticed meetings and to discuss City business. The Brown Act does not prohibit individual contact between a council member and a member of the public. The disclosures on these websites appear more to inform members of the public that any emails sent to council members by members of the public may be deemed public records subject to disclosure under the Public Records Act. This is a correct statement of the law, and the disclosures dispel any implication that communications sent to Council members through the cities' websites can be kept confidential. Council members are required to comply with the Brown Act regardless of whether such a statement appears on a city website or not.