DATE: 05/20/2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: City Manager’s Office – City Clerk
2026-178
REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBJECT:
PROCEDURES FOR LOSS OF REMOTE ACCESS SERVICES DURING CITY
COUNCIL MEETINGS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This staff report asks the City Council to adopt Administrative Policy No. 07200.007, which will establish formal procedures for responding to interruptions in telephone or internet services that provide two-way remote public access to City Council meetings.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
That the City Council approve Administrative Policy No. 07200.007, Procedures for Disruption of Remote Access Services During City Council Meetings.
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
On October 3, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), which amends the Brown Act to diversify and increase public engagement at local government meetings of legislative bodies. Among the various new requirements under SB 707, all qualified legislative bodies must now offer hybrid meetings (through a two-way phone or video platform). Corona City Council meetings are already, and will continue to be, conducted in a hybrid format via Town Hall in Microsoft Teams.
In addition, SB 707 requires the City to formally adopt a policy, on or before July 1, 2026, that outlines the procedures for recessing and reconvening a meeting in the event of an interruption in service connection and the efforts that the City Council and staff shall make to attempt to restore the service.
Currently, the City does not have a standalone written policy outlining standardized procedures in the event of a service loss. The proposed policy codifies best practices and ensures consistent handling of service interruptions in compliance with state law.
ANALYSIS:
Adoption of the policy on ‘Procedures for Disruption of Remote Access Services During City Council Meetings’ ensures compliance with SB 707 and supports the City’s commitment to transparency and public access. The policy establishes clear procedures for handling unexpected telephone or internet service disruptions, minimizing confusion during meetings and helping to preserve the public’s right to participate.
The proposed policy ensures compliance with Government Code § 54953.4 by clearly defining service disruptions and remote access, requiring public notice of interruptions, mandating good faith restoration efforts, establishing a minimum one-hour recess (or earlier reconvening upon restoration), requiring a formal Council finding if proceeding without restored access, and documenting all actions in the meeting minutes. These measures reduce legal risk by demonstrating adherence to statutory requirements and a commitment to preserving public access.
If service cannot be restored within one hour, then the City Council must conduct a roll-call vote confirming that good faith efforts were made to restore access and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the need for remote access, as required by California Government Code § 54953.4. Please note that, even if remote access cannot be restored, the public will still be able to view the City Council meeting using any of the following resources:
The City’s website: https://www.coronaca.gov/government/mayor-city-council/meeting-agendas-and-videos Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Innercirclecorona
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfCorona/
PEG Channel: https://video.isilive.ca/corona/live.html Community Television: Channel 29 on Time Warner Spectrum and Channel 99 on AT&T
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with the approval of the recommended action as the approval of the Administrative Policy does not require allocation of additional funding.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
This action is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) of the Guidelines for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which states that a project is exempt from CEQA if the activity is covered by the common sense exemption that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. This action is to adopt a policy for procedures in the event of service disruption and there is no possibility that this project will have a significant effect on the environment. Therefore, no environmental analysis is required.
PREPARED BY: KRISTIAN DUARTE, DEPUTY CITY CLERK
REVIEWED BY: JUSTIN TUCKER, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Exhibit 1 – Administrative Policy No. 07200.007
2. Exhibit 2 – Presentation