San Diego
The San Diego City Council has settled a lawsuit filed by the San Diego Tribune without acknowledging that it conducted secret meetings on the city’s $644-million 1987 budget, as the newspaper had alleged.
Council members agreed to abide by the state’s Brown Act, which, with few exceptions, requires legislative bodies such as the council to discuss the public’s business in public.
The council approved a consent decree settling the suit at a closed meeting Tuesday, according to City Atty. John Witt. The decree was filed Friday in San Diego County Superior Court.
The Tribune alleged that a public meeting in late June to approve the budget was a “sham” because council members had made key budget decisions earlier the same day during private meetings in their offices.
The council members denied any violation of state law. “They’re just saying, ‘We didn’t do the things the Tribune alleges we did, and in the future, we will not do that sort of thing either,’ ” Witt said.
An investigation of possible criminal violations by the council is continuing, according to Linda Miller, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County district attorney’s office.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
