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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
DATE: MAY 12, 2026
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK
SUBJECT: PRESENTATION ON SB 707: BROWN ACT CHANGES;
TELEPHONIC OR INTERNET SERVICE DISRUPTION POLICY;
PUBLIC POSTING BOARD FOR PUBLICLY TRANSLATED
AGENDAS; OUTREACH EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE
PARTICIPATION IN CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS; AND
PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE COUNCIL RULES OF ORDER
FOR THE CONDUCT OF MEETINGS
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 24
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council:
1. Receive presentation on Senate Bill (SB) 707 (2025) regarding changes to the Ralph M. Brown Act (Brown Act); and
2. By Resolution, adopt City Council Policy No. 1.14 entitled “Telephonic or Internet Service Disruption During Public Meeting”; and
3. By Resolution, adopt City Council Policy No. 1.15 entitled “Public Posting Board for Publicly Translated Agendas”; and
4. By Resolution, determine “reasonable efforts” for outreach to encourage participation in City Council meetings under Government Code § 54953.4; and
5. By Resolution, amend and restate the Council Rules of Order for the Conduct of Meetings to (1) reflect changes to public comments to incorporate remote participation as required by SB 707, and (2) revise the public comment time limits for public hearings; and (3) make other changes to the Order of Business; and
6. By Motion, provide additional direction or feedback to staff regarding meeting procedures, as desired.
DISCUSSION:
Senate Bill 707 (SB 707) significantly amended the Brown Act (Government Code Section 54953.4) with the intent to diversify and increase public engagement during Presentation on SB 707
May 12, 2026
local government meetings of legislative bodies. Among the various new requirements under SB 707, the legislation enhanced public participation by strengthening rules governing remote participation in meetings; and requiring comprehensive language access for non-English speakers. By July 1, 2026, legislative bodies must adopt policies addressing technology disruptions and defining reasonable efforts for outreach to encourage public participation, particularly among underrepresented and non-English- speaking communities.
Below is a summary of key provisions with notable changes under SB 707, along with their implications for the City of Anaheim.
Two-Way Remote Attendance and Disruption Procedures
SB 707 requires “eligible legislative bodies” (starting July 1, 2026, through January 1, 2030) to offer two-way public access for meetings via telephonic or audiovisual platforms (e.g. Zoom). Eligible legislative bodies is defined as City Councils with populations of greater than 30,000 or City Councils in counties with populations of greater than 600,000. The City Council of the City of Anaheim meets these criteria, thereby subject to the requirements outlined in the statute.
Prior to July 1, 2026, the City Council must adopt a policy for disruptions to telephonic or internet services. This policy must include the following:
If there's a service disruption during a meeting, the body must recess and make a good-faith effort to restore service.
The recess must last at least one hour (or until service is restored, whichever occurs first).
If the disruption cannot be resolved, the City Council must adopt a finding by roll call vote confirming that good-faith efforts were made to fix the issue and that resuming the meeting serves the public interest more than delaying it further.
In addition to the above mandates related to two-way participation, SB 707 also reorganizes and expands teleconferencing rules and extends certain provisions from Assembly Bill (AB) 2449 (2022) until January 1, 2030. Additional SB 707 changes are as follows:
Non-traditional teleconferencing expanded: The new provisions are expanded to allow Council Members to participate remotely when qualifying under “Just Cause”. “Just Cause” remote participation has been expanded to now include reasons such as childcare responsibilities, illness, family emergencies, work related travel or military service obligations. Removes the AB 2449 requirement to approve remote participation when a Council Member is absent for "Just Cause" and limits to five meetings annually for "Just Cause" participation per Council Member, if the legislative body regularly meets twice per month.
Presentation on SB 707
May 12, 2026
Americans Disabilities Act (ADA) Remote Participation: Council Members with disabilities may participate remotely as a reasonable accommodation, using audio/video (or audio-only, if necessary), and must disclose any adults present and their relationship to the Council Member.
Emergency Meetings: The emergency meeting exception (when there’s a proclaimed state or local emergency) is preserved and expanded to allow for, under certain conditions, a body may meet entirely remotely without a physical in-person location.
Teleconference Meetings by “Eligible Subsidiary Bodies”: The new provisions also authorizes remote teleconference meetings by “eligible subsidiary bodies” of local agencies, as long as the subsidiary bodies comply with certain requirements. This compliance is defined as having at least one physical location for the meeting, requiring that members attending remotely appear on camera and requiring the City Council to make certain findings and approval prior to authorizing fully remote meetings and at least every six months thereafter. Under SB 707, an “eligible subsidiary body” includes only advisory bodies that cannot take certain final actions and do not have primary subject matter jurisdiction on elections, budgets, police oversight, privacy, library material restrictions, or taxing or spending proposals.
Beginning July 1, 2026, the City of Anaheim will be required to provide an opportunity for members of the public to attend meetings and provide public comment through a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform, such as Zoom. If an audiovisual platform like Zoom is used, automatic captioning will also be required if the platform provides that functionality.
As noted previously, the City Council must also adopt a formal policy to handle technical disruptions, ensuring meetings can pause and resume fairly if internet or phone service fails. Attached is a draft policy for the City Council’s consideration.
Language Access
From July 1, 2026, to January 1, 2030, certain legislative bodies must translate their meeting agendas into any language spoken by 20% or more of the local population that speaks English less than “very well,” based on the American Community Survey data.
The City of Anaheim does meet the 20% threshold for Spanish.
Local agencies must also take reasonable steps to help increase participation from underrepresented groups, including people who do not speak English very well. This can include working with community organizations, sharing agendas and documents online, and helping people who bring their own interpreters (such as giving them space or allowing extra time for interpretation). Webpages about public meetings must also be translated into languages spoken by at least 20% of the applicable population that speaks English less than “very well,” according to American Community Survey data.
Presentation on SB 707
May 12, 2026
Agencies must also provide a bulletin board or something similar in a freely accessible physical location, close to where the agenda is posted, where the public can post their own translated versions of the agenda. This is scheduled for installation prior to July 1, 2026. Attached is a draft policy for the City Council’s consideration which establishes procedures and standards for agendas posted pursuant to Government Code § 54953.4 (c)(3)-(4) on a public posting board.
Reasonable Efforts for Outreach
Government Code § 54953.4 requires the City Council to determine and adopt what constitutes “reasonable efforts” to encourage participation in City Council meetings, particularly among underrepresented communities and non-English-speaking communities.
The proposed resolution establishes the City’s approach to outreach, which may include inviting participation in City Council meetings from media organizations serving the City, including those serving non-English-speaking communities, as well as civic, neighborhood, and community-based organizations. The statute provides the City Council with broad discretion in defining these reasonable efforts and clarifies that failure to provide notice to any specific group does not create a basis for legal action.
The proposed policy is intended to provide flexibility while supporting expanded public awareness and participation
In addition, SB707 provides specific guidelines and actions for local agencies to encourage residents to participate in public meetings, including:
Provide a system for electronically accepting and fulfilling requests for meeting agendas. This is satisfied through the City’s online “Notify Me” system. Have an accessible internet webpage dedicated to information concerning public meetings and how members of the public may participate, including a link to the page on the agency’s home page. This requirement has been met by having a prominent link to “Council Meetings” on the home page.
NEXT STEPS:
By July 1, 2026, the City of Anaheim will provide public participation in City Council Meetings via telephonic participation. Staff is currently looking at meeting this requirement through the use of Zoom Webinar.
The City Council is required to adopt a Telephonic or Internet Service Disruption Policy before July 1, 2026. Attached is a draft of City Council Policy No. 1.14 for the City Council consideration for adoption.
Presentation on SB 707
May 12, 2026
Attached is a draft policy for the City Council’s consideration which establishes procedures and standards for translated agendas posted pursuant to Government Code § 54953.4 (c)(3)-(4) on a public posting board.
In addition, staff is recommending to amend and restate the Council Rules of Order for the Conduct of Meetings to reflect changes to public comments to incorporate remote participation procedures, as well as updates to the public comment time limit for legislative matters to three (3) minutes per speaker to be consistent members of the public addressing quasi-judicial matters.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Costs associated with complying with SB 707 regarding Zoom and remote public access is approximately $5,200 annually for software licensing. Additional costs will include equipment for upgrades to meet the remote public access requirements.
Respectfully submitted,
Theresa Bass
City Clerk
Attachment:
1. Resolution (Council Policy 1.14)
2. Resolution (Council Policy 1.15)
3. Resolution (Outreach Efforts)
4. Resolution (Rules of Order - Redline)
5. Resolution (Rules of Order)