City council closes meeting
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said the
Beverly Hills City Council violated California’s open-meeting
law when it refused to allow three opponents of a proposed hotel to
speak at an Aug. 3 meeting.
The mayor adjourned the meeting moments after the three people
filed speaking requests, Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Lentz
Snyder said in an Oct. 13 letter to Mayor Mark Egerman and the
council.
A videotape of Egerman’s action, as well as comment cards
and minutes from the meeting, demonstrated that the council
violated the state’s Ralph M. Brown Act, which requires
government bodies to conduct most business in public, Snyder
said.
The three people had planned to comment on efforts to block a
petition drive by opponents of the proposed $200-million, five-star
Montage Hotel.
Military bases to close
VENTURA “”mdash; In a pre-emptive strike as base closures loom, a
Ventura County group released a report that stressed the efficiency
and military importance of the Navy’s Air and Seabee
bases.
The Department of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure
Committee is expected to release a list in coming months of
military installations it wants to close.
Port Hueneme’s Construction Battalion Center and Point
Mugu Naval Air Station ““ now unified under the banner Naval
Base Ventura County ““ were on the 1995 list of base closures
but survived the cuts. Next year, 20 percent of bases nationwide
could be affected.
Compiled from Bruin wire services.