Activating Democracy: Are Public Meetings Broken?

Many of the biggest decisions shaping our communities, from new housing developments to how school districts spend money, are made during public meetings. Laws like California’s Brown Act set guidelines to ensure that the public has a say in and has access to those meetings. Some experts, however, say the public meeting system is broken. Too few people participate and those who do don’t adequately represent the public. As part of Forum’s Activating Democracy series, we break down how people can best navigate the system, and how it can be improved.