Opinion No. (1997)

DANIEL E. LUNGREN Attorney General GREGORY L. GONOT Deputy Attorney General THE HONORABLE TOM J. BORDONARO, JR., MEMBER OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY, has requested an opinion on the following question: What information may a local school board member publicly disclose that has been received and discussed in closed session concerning pending litigation? CONCLUSION A local school board member may not publicly disclose information that has been received and discussed in closed session concerning pending litigation unless the information is authorized by law to be disclosed. ANALYSIS The present inquiry concerns the ability of a local school board member to publicly disclose information received at a closed session of the board held for the purpose of discussing litigation matters with the board's attorney. We conclude that only information authorized by law to be disclosed may be released to the public by an individual school board member. The Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code §§ 54950 - 54962 ; hereafter "Act"), 1 requires "legislative bodies" of "local agencies," including school districts, to hold their meetings open to the public except as provided in the Act. (§…