CA SB 707

Title: Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements.
Author: Jesse Arreguín

Summary
SB 707, as amended, Durazo. Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements. (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 an eligible legislative body, as defined, to comply with additional meeting requirements, including that, except as specified, 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, and that the eligible legislative body take specified actions to encourage residents to participate in public meetings, as specified.(2) 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 make the above-described exception related to communications on an internet-based social media platform applicable indefinitely. (3) Existing law requires a legislative body, prior to taking final action, to orally report a summary of a recommendation for a final action on specified forms of compensation for a local agency executive, as defined, during the open meeting in which the final action is to be taken.This bill would also require the legislative body to make that oral report, as provided above, prior to taking final action on those specified forms of compensation for a department head or other similar administrative officer of the local agency.(4) 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 require the agenda for each meeting of an eligible legislative body, as defined, to be translated into all applicable languages. The bill would define “applicable languages” to mean languages spoken jointly by 20% or more of the population in the city or county in which the eligible legislative body 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.(5) 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

Status
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

Bill Documents
CA SB 707 - 07/17/25 - Amended Assembly
07/17/25 - CA SB 707 (07/17/25 - Amended Assembly)