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Activist alleges Marin mayors’ council violates open-meeting law

She says the Tiburon councilmember who chairs the Legislative Committee blocked her from attending and has threatened legal action.

Francisco Martinez
By FRANCISCO MARTINEZ · 1 min read

A Tamalpais Valley resident is threatening legal action against the Marin County Council of Mayors and Councilmembers, alleging the countywide body has violated California’s open-meeting laws for years — and that a Tiburon councilmember has blocked her from attending meetings that should have been public.

Brooke Schreier Ganz and her attorney, Annie Cappetta of Berkeley-based Ferguson Law PC, submitted a cease-and-desist letter Jan. 5 demanding the council comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act by opening standing meetings of its Legislative Committee to the public.

The letter also alleges Tiburon Councilmember Alice Fredericks, who has chaired the Legislative Committee for more than 10 years, told Ganz in August she was not allowed to virtually attend committee meetings, relented temporarily in September, then blocked her from attending a meeting in October.

The county council is scheduled to discuss Jan. 28 whether it qualifies as a Brown Act board, Fredericks said, ahead of a required Feb. 4 deadline to formally respond to the cease-and-desist letter.

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A version of this story appeared in the Jan. 28, 2026, print edition of The Ark. See something wrong? Request a correction.
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