the brown act, originally a 686 word statute that has grown substantially over the years, was enacted in response to mounting public concerns over informal, undisclosed meetings held by local elected officials. city councils, county boards, and other local government bodies were avoiding public scrutiny by holding secret "workshops" and "study sessions." the brown act solely applies to california city and county government agencies, boards, and councils. the act has been interpreted to apply to email communication as well, leading to restrictions on the number of parties that can be copied on electronic messages. the comparable bagley-keene act mandates open meetings for state government agencies.