Yesterday, I attended SCAG’s subcommittee meeting concerning the 7th Cycle RHND/RHNA process.
Lots of thoughts.
It almost appears as though HCD and SCAG staff are coordinating in ways designed to insulate SCAG from potential Brown Act violations.
SCAG staff are hired hands, not elected representatives. Yet these unelected staff members appear to be exercising authority that properly belongs to publicly accountable officials.
There is a fundamental distinction between implementing policy enacted by elected representatives and effectively making policy on their behalf.
If substantive policy decisions are being made through staff coordination rather than through the legally required public process, that raises serious questions about Brown Act compliance.
And if this arrangement is institutionalized, the implications extend well beyond a single meeting.
**The Brown Act is not merely a procedural requirement. It is a fundamental safeguard of the public’s right to know, participate, and hold government accountable.**
Housing allocation decisions affect millions of Californians, shape the future of our communities, and impose significant obligations on local governments. These decisions demand transparency, meaningful public deliberation, and accountability to the people they affect.
**The public should never have to wonder whether consequential policy decisions are being made in open meetings by their elected representatives—or behind closed doors by unelected staff.**
Government transparency is not a technicality to be managed or a legal obstacle to be circumvented. It is the foundation of public trust.
And the public deserves nothing less.
More on this later today.