American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and First Amendment Coalition v. City of Fresno (Public meetings law)

The ACLU Foundation of Northern California and the First Amendment Coalition have sued the City of Fresno for holding secret budget negotiations in violation of California’s open meetings law. The lawsuit calls on the court to order Fresno to comply with the Brown Act’s open meeting, notice, and public comment requirements.

Since at least 2018, the Fresno City Council has had a Budget Committee that negotiated the city’s annual budget behind closed doors. The City’s proposed budget is then typically rubber-stamped by the City Council. This is a blatant violation of California’s law on open public meetings and deprives the people of their fundamental right to transparency in local government.

Read our Press release here: