A. It is the intent of the City Council of the City of Gridley that the provisions of this Chapter 2.32 be read in conjunction with existing law insofar as any proceedings under which a person is legally obligated and required to give testimony may do so without a violation of this Chapter. Specifically, Government Code § 54953.1 provides that the provisions of the Ralph M. Brown Act shall not be construed to prohibit members of the legislative body of a local agency from giving testimony in private, before a grand jury, either as individuals or as a body. To the extent that this or any similar provision of law requires the testimony of a person affected by this Chapter, a person may give such testimony and not be in violation of the provisions of this Chapter.
B. Furthermore, this Chapter 2.32 shall be interpreted and construed so as to preserve the Civil Rights of those affected by this Chapter, particularly the rights of freedom of association, and freedom of speech, provided that the topics and information concerning closed sessions of the City Council of the City of Gridley in which such information would only be imparted in closed session and would not otherwise be information generally available to a person charged with violation of this Chapter. In that regard, violations under this Chapter shall be interpreted in a fashion similar to the statutory framework with reference to the commission on teacher credentialing wherein the meetings of the commission are normally open to members of the public under Education Code 44231, however, under Education Code 44245, meetings and hearings of the commission to consider the suspension or revocation of credentials shall be held in executive and closed session and under Education Code 44248 (a), any member of the commission who releases or gives out information at a meeting held pursuant to 44245 is guilty of a misdemeanor. That is to say that the interpretation of this Chapter 2.32 shall be construed to place limitations upon present and former members of the Gridley City Council similar to those limitations placed upon members of the commission on teacher credentialing insofar as the law requires confidentiality with respect to executive sessions of the commission.
C. Additionally, this Chapter 2.32 shall be interpreted in such a fashion that there will be no violation deemed in those instances when the City Council has, by the affirmative vote of three or more of its members, determined that an issue previously the topic of discussion in closed session has reached a stage where public disclosure and discussion is warranted and appropriate. Additionally, this chapter shall be construed and interpreted to permit discussion of matters known generally from independent public sources of information even though those matters might have been discussed in closed session, so long as any discussion shall not in any way suggest or assert that such public matters were discussed in closed session.
(Ord. 562 § 1, 1990)