Inglewood Councilmember Gloria Gray hasn’t set foot in an open council meeting since December. That could continue until at least May.
Gray’s colleagues on the Inglewood City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to excuse the first-term councilmember from city council meetings through May 5 due to what meeting documents called a personal health issue.
Gray, who did dial virtually into some meetings in January and February, did not respond to a request for comment. Gray also virtually attended board meetings for the West Basin Municipal Water District, where she is a director, between mid-December and February.
State law and Inglewood’s city charter require elected officials who are absent from city meetings for longer than 60 days to vacate their seats, though the city council can vote to permit absences.
Michael Pan, an Inglewood senior assistant city attorney, said remote meeting attendance is allowed by recent changes to the Brown Act, California’s public meeting law.
Gray last attended a council meeting in person on Dec. 9 and called into meetings on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3.
Gray’s continued absence won’t violate the Brown Act, said David Loy, an attorney with the First Amendment Coalition, as long as the council has a quorum – three of the remaining four members — in attendance at meetings.
In July, changes to the Brown Act will also require public bodies for the first time to broadcast their meetings on 2-way communication platforms – like conference calls or Zoom – so that members of the public can attend and comment remotely.
Gray’s District 1 seat representing northeast Inglewood will be on the ballot in the Nov. 3 general election. Mayor James Butts and District 2 Councilmember Alex Padilla are also up for reelection.