SB 411: Open meetings: teleconferences: neighborhood councils.

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. The act generally requires for teleconferencing that the legislative body of a local agency that elects to use teleconferencing 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. The act provides an exemption to the jurisdictional requirement for health authorities, as defined.

Existing law, until January 1, 2024, authorizes the legislative body of a local agency to use alternate teleconferencing provisions during a proclaimed state of emergency or in other situations related to public health that exempt a legislative body from the general requirements (emergency provisions) and impose different requirements for notice, agenda, and public participation, as prescribed. The emergency provisions specify that they do not require a legislative body to provide a physical location from which the public may attend or comment.

Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes the legislative body of a local agency to use alternative teleconferencing in certain circumstances related to the particular member if at least a quorum of its members participate from a singular physical location that is open to the public and situated within the agencys jurisdiction and other requirements are met, including restrictions on remote participation by a member of the legislative body.

This bill, until January 1, 2026, would authorize an eligible legislative body to use alternate teleconferencing provisions related to notice, agenda, and public participation, as prescribed, if the city council has adopted an authorizing resolution and ²/₃ of an eligible legislative body votes to use the alternate teleconferencing provisions. The bill would define eligible legislative body for this purpose to mean a neighborhood council that is an advisory body with the purpose to promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs that is established pursuant to the charter of a city with a population of more than 3,000,000 people that is subject to the act. The bill would require an eligible legislative body authorized under the bill to provide publicly accessible physical locations for public participation, as prescribed. The bill would also require that at least a quorum of the members of the neighborhood council participate from locations within the boundaries of the city in which the neighborhood council is established. The bill would require that, at least once per year, at least a quorum of the members of the eligible legislative body participate in person from a singular physical location that is open to the public and within the boundaries of the eligible legislative body.

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.

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.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the neighborhood councils of the City of Los Angeles.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.