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38 <br /> <br />Boards, Commissions, and Committees Handbook| SeptemberMay 2024 2021 <br />body, and fosters respect by serving the public’s right to be heard and considered in the decision- <br />making process. <br /> <br />A "meetfng" takes place whenever a quorum is present and official business is considered. An <br />agenda for each meetfng must be posted at least 72-hours in advance. BCC members are <br />permitted to socialize in a non-meetfng setting but must refrain from discussing any BCC business. <br />Care should be taken to make sure that if a quorum of a BCC is gathered at a public or private <br />meetfng place, no public business is discussed and that the gathering will not be interpreted as a <br />meetfng. <br /> <br />Any conversatfon that occurs among a majority of the members of a BCC on business that will <br />come before it or is likely to come before it is improper under the Brown Act no matter the means <br />by which the conversatfon takes place --- in person communicatfons, phone calls, writfngs, and <br />electronic correspondence. When using email, be cognizant of the fact that it is a violatfon of the <br />Brown Act if a majority of a BCC engages in communicatfon about City business that is or is likely <br />to come before that BCC. Email correspondence is covered by the Brown Act and BCC members <br />should be extremely careful to never “reply all” to a communicatfon directed to a BCC so that an <br />improper discussion does not take place. In additfon, emails, and phone call records and text <br />messages relatfng to City business may be searchable and releasable pursuant to Public Records <br />Act requests. For this reason, you should only use your City issued email address for all BCC <br />related matters, and check it often to keep up to date with matters related to your BCC. <br /> <br />APPLICABILITY <br /> <br />To whom does it apply? <br />• Applies to legislatfve bodies. Legislatfve body means a governing board of a local agency, or <br />committees (or commissions) created by formal actfon of the governing board. <br />• Does not apply to individual decision makers like department heads, and does not apply to <br />committees not formed by an act of the legislatfve body. <br />What is considered a meeting? <br />• A meetfng is a congregatfon of a majority of the members of the legislatfve body at the same <br />tfme and place to hear, discuss, or deliberate on any matters within its jurisdictfon. This <br />means that a majority may not consult outside an agency-convened meetfng. <br />• A meetfng is not individual contact between members and another person, the presence of <br />the majority of the members of a body at a conference open to the public, the presence of <br />the majority of the members of a body at social or ceremonial occasions, or the presence <br />9.B. - Page 46 of 53 <br />202