Ralph M. Brown Act (as of January 1, 2016)

The Brown Act only applies to meetings of local legislative bodies. The Brown Act defines a meeting as: “… and any congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and location, including teleconference location as permitted by Section 54953, to hear, discuss, deliberate, or take any action on any item that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body.”1 The term “meeting” is not limited to gatherings at which action is taken but includes deliberative gatherings as well. A hearing before an individual hearing officer is not a meeting under the Brown Act because it is not a hearing before a legislative body.