If you attend enough public government meetings, you will inevitably hear a debate revolving around a particularly pesky piece of legislation: The Brown Act. Originally a 686 word statute that has grown substantially over the years, The Brown Act was enacted in 1953 in response to mounting public concerns over informal, undisclosed meetings held by elected officials. City councils, county boards, and other local government bodies throughout the State 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. Now, a local official and a concerned citizen have formed a free workshop designed to educate citizens on the complicated language of the statute.

Roseanne Chamberlain, Executive Officer of LAFCO will host the event along with upcountry resident and reporter Debbie Dunn. Chamberlain will present the basic premise behind this often misunderstood legislation. A number of topics pertaining to the act will be covered, including common misconceptions that the State yields its sovereignty and that the people, in delegating authority, give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the public to know. The free workshop will be held today, July 29th, from 7 to 8:30 pm at the Amador County Administration Building, 33 Court Street in Jackson. If you require additional information, please contact Roseanne Chamberlain at 418-9377, or Debbie Dunn at 223-6470.

The proposed Sutter Creek Crossroads Shopping Center will be the hot-button topic at the upcoming Sutter Creek Planning Commission meeting. Petrovich Development company is helming the massive development planned for the 11 acre lot on the corner of Highway 49 and Ridge Road. The development includes a 90,560 square foot shopping center with 381 parking spaces. Project proponents are touting the development for its ideal location on the corner of two major thoroughfares in Sutter Creek. The Planning Commission will determine the feasibility of the project and how it will affect the area. The public is encouraged to attend the Planning Commission meeting at 7pm on Monday, July 23 at 33 Church Street in Jackson.

Even though it lacks any sort of drive-up window, Papa Murphy’s in Jackson got an unexpected drive-through customer on Friday morning. The driver of a car lost control and lurched onto the sidewalk, crashing through the front window of the store. Despite the obvious cosmetic damage, the store did not recieve any structural damage. There was significant damage to the front end of the vehicle. At the time of this report, it still remains unclear why the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Some local residents say traveling on holiday weekends has lost some of its allure, so they're staying close to home. This is in line with the latest AAA of Northern California report, which found that fewer Californians than last year will travel over the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. Record-high gas prices are partially to blame for what is expected to be an overall decrease of 0.1 percent over last year's travel numbers, a spokesman for AAA said. Experts suggest the weakened dollar may be among the reasons travel may be down this year, though millions of Americans will be heading out of town next weekend, anyway, AAA reports. More than 4.6 million Californians are expected to travel 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend in the first overall decline in Memorial Day travel since 2002.