CA SB 537

Title: Open meetings: multijurisdictional, cross-county agencies: teleconferences.
Author: Josh Becker

Summary
SB 537, as amended, Becker. Open meetings: multijurisdictional, cross-county agencies: teleconferences. 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 agency’s jurisdiction and other requirements are met, including restrictions on remote participation by a member of the legislative body. These circumstances include if a member shows “just cause,” including for a childcare or caregiving need of a relative that requires the member to participate remotely. This bill would expand the circumstances of “just cause” to apply to the situation in which an immunocompromised child, parent, grandparent, or other specified relative requires the member to participate remotely. The bill would authorize the legislative body of a multijurisdictional, cross-county agency, as specified, to use alternate teleconferencing provisions if the eligible legislative body has adopted an authorizing resolution, as specified. The bill would also require the legislative body to provide a record of attendance of the members of the legislative body, the number of community members in attendance in the teleconference meeting, and the number of public comments on its internet website within 10 days after a teleconference meeting, as specified. The bill would require at least a quorum of members of the legislative body to participate from one or more physical locations that are open to the public and within the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises jurisdiction. The bill would require a member who receives compensation for their service, as specified, on the legislative body to participate from a physical location that is open to the public. The bill would require the legislative body to identify in the agenda each member who plans to participate remotely and to include the address of the publicly accessible building from which each member will participate via teleconference. The bill would prohibit a member from participating remotely pursuant to these provisions unless the remote location is the member’s office or another location in a publicly accessible building and is more than 40 miles from the in-person location of the meeting. The bill would repeal these alternative teleconferencing provisions on January 1, 2026.This bill would incorporate additiona

Status
Ordered to third reading.

Bill Documents
CA SB 537 - 09/05/23 - Amended Assembly
09/05/23 - CA SB 537 (09/05/23 - Amended Assembly)