Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary body.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the effective date of the bill.

Teleconferencing Rules for Subsidiary Bodies

The bill allows subsidiary bodies of local agencies to use teleconferencing with certain requirements and restrictions, including posting agendas at designated locations and requiring public access during meetings.

What This Bill Does

• Allows subsidiary bodies to use alternative teleconferencing rules if they meet specific conditions.
• Requires subsidiary bodies to post meeting agendas at each physical location where the meeting is held.
• Requires members of a subsidiary body participating in a teleconference from a remote location to appear on camera during public parts of meetings and be listed in the minutes.
• Requires the legislative body that created the subsidiary body to establish it by formal action before using teleconferencing, with findings made every 12 months.
• Exempts certain subsidiary bodies dealing with police oversight, elections, or budgets from these alternative teleconferencing rules.

Who It Names or Affects

• Subsidiary bodies of local agencies
• Members of subsidiary bodies participating in teleconference meetings

Terms To Know

subsidiary body

A smaller group within a larger organization that deals with specific issues or tasks.

teleconferencing

Using technology to hold meetings over the phone or internet when people are in different places.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill will no longer allow subsidiary bodies to use alternative teleconferencing rules after January 1, 2030.
• Subsidiary bodies dealing with police oversight, elections, or budgets cannot use these alternative teleconferencing provisions.

Official Summary Text

SB 239, as amended, Arreguín.
Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary body.
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, except as specified.
Existing law,
until January 1, 2026, authorizes specified neighborhood city councils to use alternate teleconferencing provisions related to notice, agenda, and public participation, as prescribed, if, among other requirements, the city council has adopted an authorizing resolution and
2
/
3
of the neighborhood city council votes to use alternate teleconference provisions, as specified.
This bill would authorize a subsidiary body, as defined, to use alternative teleconferencing provisions and would impose requirements for notice, agenda, and public participation, as prescribed. The bill would require the subsidiary body to post the agenda at
the primary
each
physical
meeting
location.
location designated by the subsidiary body, as specified.
The bill would require the members of the subsidiary body to visibly appear on camera during the open portion of a meeting that is publicly accessible via the internet or other online platform, as specified. The bill would also require the subsidiary body to list a member of the subsidiary body who participates in a teleconference meeting from a remote location in the minutes of the meeting.
The bill would require the legislative body that established the subsidiary body electing to use teleconferencing pursuant to these provisions to establish the subsidiary body by charter, ordinance, resolution, or other formal action to make specified findings by majority vote, before the subsidiary body uses
teleconferencing for the first time and every 12 months thereafter. The bill would require the subsidiary body to approve the use of teleconference by
2
/
3
vote before using teleconference pursuant to these provisions.
The bill would exempt from these alternative teleconferencing provisions a subsidiary body that has subject matter jurisdiction over police oversight, elections, or budgets. The bill would require any member of a subsidiary body who is an elected official to comply with specified agenda and quorum requirements to participate in a meeting through teleconferencing pursuant to this section, and would require any final recommendations adopted by a subsidiary body to be presented at a regular meeting of the legislative body that established the subsidiary body.
The bill would
repeal these provisions on January 1, 2030, and thereby remove the authorization for subsidiary bodies to use the alternative teleconferencing provisions as described above.
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.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF