Transparency Petition

A PETITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT

We, the undersigned residents of Sausalito, ask the Sausalito City Council to establish by resolution a policy of public transparency and accountability. The City Council should disclose to the fullest extent votes and deliberations made in closed session after the need for confidentiality has ended, excluding legally restricted subjects such as personnel matters.

We believe full public disclosure at every lawful opportunity should be the policy of

the Sausalito City Council.

Regarding the Gossage property, we, the residents, ask the City Council to release the following information:

· closed session votes of individual council members regarding the decision to acquire the property

· copies of all documents considered during closed session deliberations including staff and outside reports

· copies of notes and minutes of the closed session deliberations recorded by staff

· individual votes regarding the decision to keep secret the closed session deliberations.

Print Name	Signature	Street Address	Telephone	Email Address

BACKGROUND: In February 2009, Sausalito City Council withheld information from Sausalito residents following closed session meetings after the need for confidentiality had passed.

In non-public, closed sessions, the Council decided to limit Sausalito’s bid for the Gossage property (at a public foreclosure auction) to an amount insufficient to buy the property. The property was then bought by a private developer. After the City bid failed, the Council refused to disclose their individual votes and deliberations.

Regardless of one’s position on whether this property should have been purchased by the City, the decision to keep this information secret is an outrageous example of denying the public’s right to open government. It is a deliberate concealment of Council Members’ votes.

What happened in those closed door sessions? Who voted how, and why?

Why is the Council majority afraid to reveal their votes and the rationale therefor?

What happened to TRANSPARENCY in government?

The Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meeting law, requires that actions and deliberations of City Councils be taken openly and with public knowledge and input. There are certain narrow exceptions however, such as personnel matters and pending real estate negotiations and litigation, which permit the Council to conduct closed sessions.

The Brown Act permits and encourages the Council to disclose details of closed session matters and votes other than those dealing with personnel issues. In the absence of valid and fully explained reasons for non-disclosure, all details and every vote should be made public.

We, the voters of Sausalito, have a right to know how and why our elected officials arrived at such an important decision affecting all Sausalito residents. Under the Brown Act, the Council can – and should – disclose this information, but the Council has adamantly refused to do so. More importantly, the Council has refused to reveal the individual votes regarding the transparency matter!

Who voted to keep this information secret?

The Sausalito City Council’s unwarranted secrecy damages public trust. Sausalito residents deserve and are entitled to openness and disclosure by their elected representatives to the fullest extent legally possible.

Circulated by: Sausalito Environmental Action (SEA) seagroup.org April 2009