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AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: June 23, 2026Item Number:
To: Honorable Mayor & City Council
From: Laurence S. Wiener, City Attorney
Roxanne Diaz, Assistant City Attorney
Subject: RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS ADOPTING THE “INTERNET SERVICE AND
TELEPHONIC SERVICE DISRUPTION POLICY” FOR CITY
COUNCIL MEETINGS
Attachments: 1. Resolution
RECOMMENDATION
The City Attorney’s office recommends that the City Council adopt the resolution adopting the “Internet Service and Telephonic Service Disruption Policy” for City Council meetings (Attachment 1).
INTRODUCTION
Senate Bill 707 (“SB 707”) was signed into law on October 3, 2025, and introduces important updates to the Ralph M. Brown Act (“Brown Act”), which is California’s open meeting law. SB 707 is intended to modernize public meeting requirements and improvepublic engagement and accessibility. To that end, SB 707 imposes new requirements on “eligible legislative bodies” to make meetings of a city council more accessible to thepublic. The City Council qualifies as an “eligible legislative body” as the City has apopulation of 30,000 or more residents.
SB 707 requires eligible legislative bodies (i.e. City Council) to offer hybrid City Councilmeetings. This means the public must be able to participate not only in person at aphysical location, which would be in the City Council Chambers, but also through a two way phone or video platform. The City Council already complies with this requirement as it offers not only an in-person option for the public to participate in its meetings, but also provides for public participation primarily through a two-way audiovisual platform (i.e. Zoom) as well as telephonically.
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Meeting Date: June 23, 2026
In addition, SB 707 also requires the City Council to adopt a formal policy to address disruptions of telephonic or internet services during hybrid meetings on or before July 1, 2026. Accordingly, the purpose of the proposed resolution is to formally adopt the“Internet Service and Telephonic Service Disruption Policy” for City Council meetings (“Policy”).DISCUSSION
The proposed Disruption Policy provides a framework for responding to a disruption in telephonic or internet services for remote participants that utilize the City’s two-way audiovisual platform, referred to as the “Hybrid Platform,” to access and participate inCity Council meetings. It should be noted that the “disruption” relates to the City’s Hybrid Platform and not the participant’s. For example, there may be a connection issue that occurs on the remote participant’s side, such as not enough bandwidth for the remoteparticipant to run Zoom. That is not considered a “disruption.” The disruption is when the City’s Hybrid Platform is experiencing technical difficulties such that there is no telephonic or internet service in order for the platform to be operational, or there is a disruption or other technical issue that makes two-way remote participation not possibleduring the City Council meeting (for example, the City Council meeting is no longer able to be observed or heard by the public via the Hybrid Platform).
In such case, SB 707 requires the City to adopt procedures for what happens if there is disruption that prevents the Hybrid Platform from being operational. Under the Policy, ifsuch a disruption occurs to the Hybrid Platform, the City Clerk would inform the Mayor that a disruption has occurred and a recess is required in order to allow staff to make good-faith efforts to restore service. Under SB 707, the recess may last for up to an hour or until the service is restored to the Hybrid Platform, whichever is earlier. During the recess, the City Council cannot continue with its meeting agenda, however, SB 707 allows the City Council to meet in closed session during the recess period for items listed in the closed session agenda.
If the Hybrid Platform cannot be restored, in order to continue the open session meeting, the City Council must adopt a finding by a roll call vote that pursuant to the Policy, goodfaith efforts to restore the service to the Hybrid Platform have been made and the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.
These requirements, however, do not apply to certain specified types of meetings, such as meetings during an emergency situation as defined in the Brown Act. The Policy includes those exemptions.FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact in adopting the Policy. The City already hosts hybrid meetings and this policy is administrative in nature.
Laurence S. Wiener,
City Attorney
Approved By
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Attachment
1 Docusign Envelope ID: 4FFFBAAE-95DE-81 95-808E-31 5CAA088685 RESOLUTION NO 26-R-_____
RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEVERLYHILLS ADOPTING THE “INTERNET SERVICE ANDTELEPHONIC SERVICE DISRUPTION POLICY” FOR CITY
COUNCIL MEETINGS
WHEREAS, the Ralph M. Brown Act, commonly known as the “Brown Act,” is California’s “sunshine” law for local government. The Brown Act is found in the CaliforniaGovernment Code commencing with Government Code Section 54950. In 2025, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 707 (“SB 707”), which was signed into law on October 3, 2025and is effective January 1, 2026. SB 707 enacted an extensive modernization of the Brown Act.
WHEREAS, SB 707 adds a new Section 54953.4 that requires specific actions be taken by an “eligible legislative body” to make meetings more accessible to the public. An “eligiblelegislative body” is defined in Section 54953.4(e)(2) and as applied to the City of Beverly Hills, the City Council is an eligible legislative body.
WHEREAS, starting on July 1, 2026, public meetings held by an eligible legislative body are required to include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform (such as Zoom or Teams), commonly referred to as a “hybrid meeting.” The only exception is if adequate telephonic or internet service is not operational at the meeting location. With regarding to the hybrid meeting requirement, the City Council already complies with the SB 707 requirement of conducting City Council meetings as a hybrid meeting and members of the public currently have an opportunity toparticipate via a two-way audiovisual platform. -1-
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Docusign Envelope ID: 4FFFBAAE-950E-81 95-808E-31 5CAA088685 WHEREAS, in conjunction with hybrid meetings, SB 707 requires the City Council, on or before July 1, 2026, to approve a policy regarding the disruption of telephonic or internet services occurring during the meeting. The adoption of such policy must occur at a noticed public meeting of the City Council in open session and not as an item on the consent calendar.
WHEREAS, the purpose of this policy is to adopt the “Internet Service and Telephonic Service Disruption Policy” in the manner and content required by Section 54953.4(b)(l)(A)(i)(I) and (II).
NOW, THEREFORE, the Council of the City of Beverly Hills does hereby resolve as follows:
Section 1. The recitals set forth above are true and correct and are incorporated herein as if set forth in full.
Section 2. The City Council hereby adopts the “Internet Service and Telephone Service Disruption Policy” as set forth in Exhibit A.
Section 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this resolution and shall cause this resolution and this resolution to be entered in the Book of Resolutions of the Councilof the City.
Adopted:
CRAIG A. CORMANMayor of the City of Beverly Hills,
California
ATTEST:
__________________________(SEAL)
HUMA AHMED
City Clerk
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Docusign Envelope ID: 4FFFBAE-95DE-8195-8O8E-31 5CAA088685 APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:LAURENCE S. WIENER NANCY HU1.TT-COFFEYCity Attorney City Manager
HUMA AHMED
City Clerk
DAVID SCHIRMERChief Information Officer
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Docusign Envelope ID: 4FFFBAAE-95DE-81 95-808E-31 5CAA088685
EXHIBIT A
CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS
INTERNET SERVICE AND TELEPHONIC SERVICE DISRUPTION POLICY Background
The Ralph M. Brown Act, commonly known as the “Brown Act,” is California’s “sunshine” law for local government. The Brown Act is found in the California Government Code commencingwith Government Code Section 54950. In 2025, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 707 (“SB 707”), which was signed into law on October 3, 2025 and is effective January 1, 2026.
SB 707 enacted an extensive modernization ofthe Brown Act.SB 707 adds a new Section 54953.4 that requires specific actions be taken by an “eligible legislative body” to make meetings more accessible to the public. An “eligible legislative body” is defined in Section 54953.4(e)(2) and as applied to the City of Beverly Hills, the City Councilis an eligible legislative body.
Starting on July 1, 2026, public meetings held by an eligible legislative body are required to include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform (such as Zoom or Teams), commonly referred to as a “hybrid meeting.” The only exception is if adequate telephonic or internet service is not operational at the meeting location.
In conjunction with hybrid meetings, SB 707 requires the City Council, on or before July 1, 2026, to approve a policy regarding the disruption of telephonic or internet services occurringduring the meeting. The adoption of such policy must occur at a noticed public meeting of the City Council in open session and not as an item on the consent calendar.
The purpose of this policy is to adopt the “Internet Service and Telephonic Service DisruptionPolicy” in the manner and content required by Section 54953.4(b)(1)(A)(i)(I) and (II).
1. Designation of Responsible Person of the City’s Two-Way Audiovisual Platform:
The City Manager or his or her designee shall identif’ a City employee who handles the operation of the microphones, cameras and other audio visual equipment during City Councilmeetings and ensures that the two-way audiovisual platform, such as Zoom or Teams, has connectivity so that the meeting is displayed, both visually and with audio, at noticed publicmeetings of the City Council (“Responsible Person”). As used in this Policy, a “two-wayaudiovisual platform” means an online platform that provides participants with the ability to participate in a meeting via both an interactive video conference and a two-way telephonicservice and shall be referred to herein as the “Hybrid Platform.”
2. Role of the City Clerk and City Clerk Office. The City Clerk or a member of the City Clerk’s Office is designated for interacting with the Hybrid Platform to receive and record public comments. The City Clerk or a member of the City Clerk’s Office works within the Hybrid Platform as the meeting host to queue speakers who desire to provide public comment, admit speakers into the meeting when it is their turn to speak and thereafter remove said speakers, interact with the speakers as needed, including muting and unmuting speakers, and closes the -4-
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Docusign Envelope ID: 4FFFBAAE-95DE-81 95-808E-31 5CAA088685 queue when the public comment period ends. The City Clerk interacts with the Mayor so thatspeakers who participate virtually are called upon by the Mayor to provide their comments.
3. Disruption of the Hybrid Platform - Notification to the Mayor. If the Responsible Person or the City Clerk determines at any time during the City Council meeting that the Hybrid Platform is experiencing technical difficulties such that there is no telephonic or internet service in order for the Hybrid Platform to be operational, or there is a disruption or other technical issue that makes two-way remote participation not possible during the City Council meeting (for example, the City Council meeting is no longer able to be observed or heard by the public via theHybrid Platform), the City Clerk shall immediately inform the Mayor or the presiding officer if the Mayor is not in attendance at the meeting, that the Hybrid Platform has been disrupted and a recess is required in order to restore service to the Hybrid Platform.
4. Announcement by the Mayor. The Mayor or presiding officer shall make an announcement regarding the need to call a recess because there is a disruption or other technical issue that has rendered the Hybrid Platform non-operational preventing two-way virtual remote participation. After such announcement, the Mayor or presiding officer shall call for a recess and inform the in-person audience that under the Brown Act, the recess may last for up to an hour or until the service is restored to the Hybrid Platform. Pursuant to the Brown Act, the City Council is required to recess the open session of the City Council meeting for at least one hour following the disruption, or until service to the Hybrid Platform is restored, whichever is earlier.
5. Recordation of the Time Recess is Called. The City Clerk shall, in writing, record thetime when the recess is called by the Mayor or the presiding officer if the Mayor is not in attendance at the meeting.
6. Good Faith Attempt to Restore Service to the Hybrid Platform. During the recess, the Responsible Person and/or the City Clerk and any other member of City Staff shall make agood faith attempt to restore service to the Hybrid Platform. This includes troubleshooting any issues impacting connectivity including but not limited to the following: internet or telephonic connectivity issues, check the connection, check and/or test the internet bandwidth, or contact the internet or telephonic provider.
7. Troubleshooting Hybrid Platform is Successful. If the Responsible Person, City Clerk, or any other member of City Staff is successful in restoring the service to the Hybrid Platform within one hour of when the recess was called, the City Clerk shall inform the Mayor or presiding officer that the matter has been resolved. The Mayor or presiding officer shall thenreconvene the City Council meeting and shall inform the public that service has been restored to the Hybrid Platform. The City Clerk shall, in writing, record the time of when the City Councilmeeting is reconvened.
9. Troubleshooting Hybrid Platform is Not Successful. If the Responsible Person, CityClerk, or any other member of City Staff was not successful in restoring the service to the HybridPlatform within one hour of when the recess was called, the City Clerk shall inform the Mayor or the presiding officer that after making a good faith attempt to restore service, service to the Hybrid Platform was unable to be restored.
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10. Reconvening the Open Session of the City Council Meeting. The Mayor or presiding officer shall subsequently reconvene the City Council meeting. The City Clerk shall, in writing, record the time of when the City Council meeting is reconvened. Upon reconvening the meeting, the Mayor or presiding officer shall inform the City Council and the public that services to the Hybrid Platform were unable to be restored. The City Clerk shall give a description of the efforts made to restore service. The Mayor or presiding officer shall request that a finding be made as follows: (i) that good faith efforts to restore the service for the Hybrid Platform have been made in accordance with the City’s Internet Service and Telephonic Service Disruption Policy; and (ii) that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access. The Mayor or presiding officer shall call for a motion, ask for a second and ask the City Clerk to take a roll call vote. If the motion making the finding is passed, the City Council may continue the City Council meeting.
11. Certain Meetings Exempt. The requirement set forth in Government Code Section 54953.4 that open and public meetings shall include an opportunity for members of the public to attend the City Council meeting via a two-way remote system (in the case of Beverly Hills, a two-way audiovisual platform), does not apply to the following meetings: (i) a meeting to attend a judicial or administrative proceeding to which the City is a party; (ii) a meeting to inspect realor personal property provided that the topic of the meeting is limited to items directly related to the real or personal property; (iii) a meeting with elected or appointed officials of the United States or the State of California, solely to discuss a legislative or regulatory issue affecting the city and over which the federal or state officials have jurisdiction; (iv) a meeting in or nearby a facility owned by the City, provided that the topic of the meeting is limited to items directly related to the facility; and (v) a meeting in an emergency situation pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.5.
12. Closed Session During a Recess. During the recess described herein, the City Council may meet in closed session during this period for items listed in the closed session agenda for that meeting.
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Certificate Of Completion
Envelope Id: 4FFFBAAE-95DE-81 95-808E-31 5CAA088685 Status: Sent Subject: Please Docusign: Resolution and Disruption Policy for 6123/26 Council meeting Source Envelope:
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Certificate Pages: 2 Initials: 0 Shani Parker
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