SOMIS : Open-Meeting Law Violated, Jurors Say

The board of the Somis Union School District violated California’s open meeting law when it voted in closed session June 17 to cancel previously scheduled summer school classes, the Ventura County grand jury has ruled.

However, the grand jury concluded that there was insufficient evidence to show that the board knowingly violated the Brown Act, said Bill Stewart, who serves on the citizen panel. As a result, no legal action will be taken against the school officials.

The grand jury did recommend that board members be required to take a course on the Brown Act to ensure their understanding of the law.

The school board members are Debbie Carpenter, Robert Fulkerson, Miguel Mejia and Alda Perry. Beth Miller, a board member at the time the violation occurred, no longer sits on the panel.

Mejia said Friday that the school board believed it was acting within the bounds of the law. He said because the board was discussing hiring of personnel for the summer school program it felt it should meet in closed session.

The grand jury began investigating the board in October after receiving numerous complaints from parents about the frequency of closed-door meetings. The panel said there was insufficient evidence to show that any other violations were committed.

The grand jury, whose 19 members are appointed by Superior Court judges to one-year terms, issues indictments in some criminal cases. However, the jury spends most of its time investigating local government.

Elizabeth Gruttadaurio, one of the parents who filed a complaint with the grand jury, said she was pleased with the ruling. However, she said she still believes board members knew they were violating the law.

“That’s not a good excuse,” she said. “I know the law, and I’m not a board member.”

Gruttadaurio is also leading a recall drive against three of the board members--Mejia, Perry and Carpenter--for voting in May not to renew the contract of then Supt. Dale Forgey. The recall election will held Tuesday.