Morrison

Appellant Sybil Morrison brought an action for administrative mandamus to set aside the decision by the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (commissioners) upholding her termination from employment. She also sought a declaration the commissioners violated the Ralph M. Brown Act by hearing the charges against her in closed session, and an injunction requiring appeals from employee discipline be considered in open session at the employee’s request. The trial court denied all relief and Morrison filed a timely appeal. For the reasons explained in part II below, we reverse.

Facts and Proceedings Below

Morrison was first employed by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) as an eligibility interviewer from 1976 to 1979. She returned to the agency as a “Section 8” adviser in 1994 and served in that position until her termination in 1999. Morrison met Mario Campana when they worked together as Section 8 advisers for approximately five months in 1994. Campana subsequently returned to his regular position as an eligibility interviewer in a different building. During the next five years Morrison saw Campana five or six times…