(1) Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a legislative body, as defined, of a local agency be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate.
This bill would, until January 1, 2030, require a city council or a county board of supervisors to comply with additional meeting requirements, including that all open and public meetings include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a 2-way telephonic service or a 2-way audiovisual platform, as defined, that a system is in place for requesting and receiving interpretation services for public meetings, as specified, and that the city council or county board of supervisors encourage residents to participate in public meetings, as specified.
(2) Existing law defines "legislative body" for these purposes to mean, among other things, a commission, committee, board, or other body of a local agency, whether permanent or temporary, decisionmaking or advisory, created by charter, ordinance, resolution, or formal action of a legislative body. Existing law specifies that "legislative body" does not include advisory committees, composed solely of the members of the legislative body that are less than a quorum of the legislative body, except for specified standing committees of a legislative bodies.
This bill would revise and recast the above-described definition of a legislative body and would specify that bodies with certain subject matter jurisdiction, including elections, and advisory committees with a continuing subject matter jurisdiction or a fixed meeting schedule, as specified, are legislative bodies.
Existing law prohibits a majority of the members of a legislative body, outside a meeting authorized by the act, from using a series of communications of any kind to discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item of business that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. Existing law defines "meetings" for these purposes to mean any congregation of a majority of the members of a legislative body at the same time and location, as specified, to hear, discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. Until January 1, 2026, existing law excepts from the prohibition a member engaging in separate conversations or communications outside of a meeting with any other person using an internet-based social media platform for specified purposes, provided, among other things, that a majority of the members do not use the internet-based social media platform to discuss among themselves business of a specific nature that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body.
This bill would also include as a "meeting" any conversation between members of a legislative body regarding, among other things, boundary lines of the districts of the legislative body. The bill would make the above-described exception related to communications on an internet-based social media platform applicable indefinitely.
(3) Existing law requires a legislative body of a local agency or its designee, at least 72 hours before a regular meeting, to post an agenda that meets specified requirements, including that the agenda contain a brief general description of each item of business to be transacted or discussed at the meeting, as specified.
This bill would also require the agenda to be provided in English and in all other languages spoken jointly by 20% or more of the population in the county in which the local agency is located that, among other things, speaks English less than "very well," as specified, and except as provided.
Existing law requires every agenda for regular meetings to provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body on any item of interest of the public, as specified. Existing law specifies that the agenda is not required to provide an opportunity for members of the public to address the legislative body on any item that has already been considered by a committee, as specified.
This bill would remove the provision related to an item that has already been considered by a committee.
(4) Existing law authorizes a legislative body of a local agency to require a copy of the act to be given to each member of the legislative body and specified persons elected to serve as a member of the legislative body, and authorizes an elected legislative body member to require a copy to be given to each member of each legislative body all or a majority of whose members are appointed by or under the authority of the elected legislative body.
This bill would instead require a legislative body of a local agency to provide a copy of the act to each member of the legislative body and specified persons elected or appointed to serve as a member of the legislative body, as described above.
Existing law authorizes legislative bodies of local agencies to impose requirements upon themselves which allow greater access to their meetings than prescribed by the minimal standards set forth in the act, and authorizes an elected legislative body of a local agency to also impose those requirements on those appointed legislative bodies of the local agency of which all or a majority of the members are appointed by or under the authority of the elected legislative body.
This bill would remove the above-described requirement that members of an appointed legislative body of a local agency must be appointed by or under the authority of the elected legislative body of a local agency in order for the elected legislative body to impose the above-described requirements on the appointed legislative body.
(5) Existing law requires the legislative body of any local agency to publicly report any action taken in closed session and the vote or abstention on that action of every member present pursuant to specified requirements, including that action taken to appoint, employ, dismiss, accept the resignation of, or otherwise affect the employment status of a public employee in closed session held under specified provisions is reported at the public meeting during that closed session and that the report identifies the title of the position.
This bill would require any report subject to the above-described requirement to also include an estimate of the fiscal impact of the action taken.
Existing law authorizes a court in its discretion to order a legislative body, upon a judgment of a violation of specified closed session provisions, to audio record closed sessions and preserve the audio recordings for the period and under specified terms the court deems appropriate. Existing law authorizes a district attorney or any interested person to file an action to determine the applicability of the act to past actions of the legislative body pursuant to specified provisions relating to violations of the act if specified conditions are met, including that the district attorney or interested person first submits a cease and desist letter to the clerk or secretary of the legislative body being accused of the violation, as specified, within 9 months of the alleged violation.
This bill would expand the violations for specified closed sessions described above to instead include a violation of any provision under the act authorizing a closed session. The bill would instead require that a cease and desist letter described above be submitted within 12 months of the alleged violation.
(6) Existing law provides any person attending an open and public meeting of a legislative body of a local agency with the right to record the proceedings with an audio or visual recorder or a still or motion picture camera, as specified.
This bill would remove the reference to an audio or visual recorder or a still or motion picture camera for purposes of recording the proceedings, as described above.
(7) Existing law authorizes a legislative body of a local agency to use teleconferencing, as specified, and requires a legislative body of a local agency that elects to use teleconferencing to comply with specified general requirements, including that the local agency post agendas at all teleconference locations, identify each teleconference location in the notice and agenda of the meeting or proceeding, and have each teleconference location be accessible to the public. Existing law also requires that, during the teleconference, at least a quorum of the members of the legislative body participate from locations within the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises jurisdiction, except as specified.
Existing law authorizes members who are outside the jurisdiction of a health authority, as defined, that conducts a teleconferencing meeting to, notwithstanding the above-described general teleconference provisions, count towards the establishment of a quorum when participating in the teleconference if, among other things, at least 50% of the number of members that would establish a quorum are present within the boundaries of the territory over which the authority exercises jurisdiction.
Existing law authorizes, in certain circumstances, the legislative body of a local agency to use specified alternative teleconferencing which include provisions related to, among others, notice of the means by which members of the public may access the meeting and offer public comment and identifying and including an opportunity for all persons to attend via a call-in option or an internet-based service option. Those circumstances in which the legislative body of a local agency is authorized to use the alternative teleconferencing provisions include specified circumstances relating to a state of emergency, as defined, and, until January 1, 2026, subject to specified limitations, a member's need to participate remotely due to just cause or emergency circumstances, as defined.
Existing law also authorizes certain eligible legislative bodies, including neighborhood councils and student body associations and student-run community college organizations to, until January 1, 2026, use alternate teleconferencing if, among other requirements, the city council or board of trustees, as applicable, has adopted an authorizing resolution and 23 of the neighborhood city council or specified student organization, as applicable, votes to use alternate teleconference provisions, as specified.
This bill would revise and recast the above-specified alternative teleconferencing provisions to uniformly apply certain noticing, accessibility, and public commenting provisions. The bill would require a legislative body of a local agency that elects to use teleconferencing pursuant to these alternative teleconferencing provisions to comply with specified requirements, including that the legislative body provides at least either 2-way audiovisual platform or 2-way telephonic service and a live webcasting of the meeting as a means by which the public may, among other things, remotely hear and visually observe the meeting, and that a member of the legislative body who participates in a teleconference meeting from a remote location is listed in the minutes of the meeting. The bill would require the local agency to identify and make available to legislative bodies a list of meeting locations that the legislative bodies may use to conduct their meetings.
The bill would instead authorize a health authority, as defined, to conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to the above-described alternative teleconferencing provisions.
The bill would revise and recast the alternative teleconferencing provisions applicable in a state of emergency, as defined. The bill would also include a local emergency, as defined, as a circumstance in which a legislative body of a local agency is authorized to use the alternative teleconferencing provisions.
The bill would revise and recast the alternative teleconferencing provisions applicable in cases of a member's need to participate remotely due to just cause or emergency circumstances, as defined, to remove the provision applicable to emergency circumstances and to broaden the definition of just cause to include a physical or family medical emergency that prevents a member from attending in person. The bill would extend the authorization to use the alternative teleconferencing provision until January 1, 2030.
The bill would revise and recast the alternative teleconferencing provisions applicable to neighborhood councils and student body associations and student-run community college organizations and would extend the authorization to use the alternative teleconferencing provision until January 1, 2030.
The bill would, until January 1, 2030, also authorize specified subsidiary bodies of local agencies to conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to the above-described alternative teleconferencing provisions, provided that it complies with the requirements for alternative teleconferencing described above and additional requirements, including that the subsidiary body designates a primary physical meeting location where members of the public may physically attend, observe, hear, and participate in the meeting, as specified.
The bill would, until January 1, 2030, also authorize specified multijurisdictional bodies of local agencies to conduct a teleconference meeting pursuant to the above-described alternative teleconferencing provisions, provided that it complies with the requirements for alternative teleconferencing described above and additional requirements, including that the eligible multijurisdictional body has adopted a resolution that authorizes the multijurisdictional body to use teleconferencing at a regular meeting in open session.
(8) Existing law authorizes a special meeting to be called any time by, among other persons, the presiding officer of the legislative body of a local agency, by delivering specified written notices and posting a notice on the local agency's internet website, if the local agency has one. Existing law requires specified legislative bodies to comply with the internet website posting requirement. Existing law prohibits a legislative body of a local agency from calling a special meeting regarding the salaries, salary schedules, or compensation paid in the form of fringe benefits of a local agency executive, as defined.
The bill would remove the requirement that only specified legislative bodies comply with the internet website posting requirement, thereby imposing that requirement on all legislative bodies.
The bill would also prohibit a legislative body of a local agency from calling a special meeting regarding the evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a local agency executive, or a member of the legislative body. The bill would prohibit a legislative body from, among other things, considering the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a public employee, at a special meeting, unless the item is properly before the legislative body, as specified, and certain criteria are met, including that at least 4 /5 of the legislative body vote at the start of the meeting to proceed with the meeting.
(9) Existing law authorizes a legislative body of a local agency to hold an emergency meeting without complying with specified notice and posting requirements in the case of specified emergency circumstances, as specified, and imposes various requirements under these provisions applicable to either legislative bodies generally or legislative bodies which are a school board.
This bill would remove the school board distinction from the above-described provisions, thereby imposing the same requirements to hold an emergency meeting on all legislative bodies of local agencies.
By imposing additional duties on legislative bodies of local agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(10) Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
(11) The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose.
This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.
(12) The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
(13) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Statutes affected:
SB 707: 54954.3 GOV
02/21/25 - Introduced: 54954.3 GOV
04/07/25 - Amended Senate: 54952 GOV, 54952 GOV, 54952.7 GOV, 54952.7 GOV, 54953.5 GOV, 54953.5 GOV, 54953.7 GOV, 54953.7 GOV, 54954.3 GOV, 54956 GOV, 54956 GOV, 54956.5 GOV, 54956.5 GOV, 54957.1 GOV, 54957.1 GOV, 54957.6 GOV, 54957.6 GOV, 54960 GOV, 54960 GOV, 54960.2 GOV, 54960.2 GOV