Posted on 06/13/2006 6:20:10 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
The state board that oversees flood control in the Central Valley plans to meet in a closed session Friday to discuss whether it violated an open meetings law.
The California Reclamation Board has been criticized for approving a permit for 11,000 luxury homes near Lathrop even though the board's attorney warned that the action was illegal because the project wasn't on the agenda for that April 21 meeting.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has asked the board to rescind that vote and reconsider the matter after giving proper public notice.
The board says the NRDC petition amounts to "pending litigation" that justifies a closed meeting, even though the environmental group says it has made no decision about filing a lawsuit.
"There has been enough activity with the NRDC's letter, the articles that have appeared in the press, that it's appropriate for legal staff to brief the board on the situation and options," said Ben Carter, the board's president. "That's typically done in closed session."
The public portion of Friday's meeting includes a reconsideration of the permit if the board decides to do that.
Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition, a group that supports efforts to open up government meetings and records to the public, said the board's decision to hold the closed session "was a new one on me."
"It's bad public policy and bad politics, if nothing else, to use what they knew to be a violation to create an opportunity to discuss secretly what they're going to do about that violation," he said. "At a minimum, they look pretty stupid."
The board has taken more pro-development stances since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced the seven-member board appointed by former Gov. Gray Davis with new members in September.
Nearly every board member Schwarzenegger appointed has links to developers or land interests in or next to the area the board governs, records show.
Nearly every board member Schwarzenegger appointed has links to developers or land interests in or next to the area the board governs, records show.
Uhhhhh...
Life in a flood plain ..
It don't get no more fun than this.
Just so they have Jumbalaya, crawfish pie, fillet gumbo.. Woohooo!!!
There are quite a few counties that are in the running, that's for sure.
California board wants closed session to talk about open meetings
Tagline Material! LOL
Hard to count the cash when the meetings is open.
So they are going to have a closed meeting to decide if they violated the open meeting law? I think that's hilarious!
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