Upcoming BB&K Webinar explores the evolution of social media law for public officials and agencies

best best kriegerFrom the president to city councilmembers and the White House to city hall, public officials and their agencies rely heavily on Facebook, Twitter and the like to communicate with the communities they serve.  

While they provide a quick, informal way to share information and connect with constituents, social media platforms have raised a number of questions and created a host of novel issues for officials and agencies to navigate. For example, can an elected official block users and delete critical comments? Can an official maintain a private account? Can an official comment on another official’s post regarding an issue before the governing body? Or does that violate the Brown Act? And what about record retention? 

Best Best & Krieger LLP attorneys will dive into these questions and the laws that apply to public officials and agencies in a free webinar on Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 10 to 11 a.m. (PST). 

Entitled “Comments, Likes and Emojis, Oh My! An Update on Evolving Social Media Law for Public Officials and Agencies,” the webinar will discuss the Brown Act and the recent changes its undergone with the passage of Assembly Bill 992. Webinar presenters will also discuss the Public Records Act, the First Amendment and due process and records retention issues that pertain to social media. 

The webinar will be presented by: 

  • Christine N. Wood, who leads BB&K’s ARC: Advanced Records Center, which provides public agencies with support for all records-related matters. An attorney and Certified E-Discovery Specialist, Christine advises, educates and assists public agencies in developing procedures for the preservation, collection and production of electronically stored information. 
  • HongDao Nguyen, a partner with BB&K’s Municipal Law practice group who represents public agencies in transactional and litigation matters regarding land use and public records law. She serves as city attorney for Stanton and assistant city attorney for Aliso Viejo and Lake Forest. 
  • Albert Maldonado, an associate in BB&K’s Municipal Law practice group, advises cities, school districts and special districts on transparency and ethics laws (the Brown Act, Public Records Act and Political Reform Act), public contracts, First Amendment and conflict of interest issues. 

To register for this free webinar, click here.