About 25 years ago came a quietrevolution in local politics. Previously, governing agencies had tended to hold decisive get-togethers out of the public eye. Many deeds were decided upon and done that might not have been done at all had anyone out of the power loop been observing the process.Back then, local politicians sometimes even ordered reporters to leave public meetings under threat of arrest. This was when most of a city’s or county’s business could be decided in the backroom of a roadhouse. Ultimately, the reaction to this long-standing phase of affairs was convulsive: The result was an outburst of “sunshine laws” that forbade secret discussions and most closed-door meetings. California’s sunshine law is the Ralph M. Brown Act.