Item 478/2025
Final
City of Garden Grove
INTER-DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM
To:
Lisa L. Kim From: Omar Sandoval
Dept:
City Manager Dept: City Attorney
Date: 6/23/2026
Subject: Adoption of a Resolution amending the Manual of Procedure for City Council Meetings to incorporate procedures for addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service at public meetings and SB 707 implementation. (Action Item)
OBJECTIVE
For the City Council to adopt a Resolution amending the Manual of Procedure for City Council Meetings to incorporate the Technology Disruption Policy outlining procedures for addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service at City Council public meetings in compliance with the implementation of the amendments to the Brown Act pursuant to SB 707.
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Brown Act to require “eligible legislative bodies ” to provide two-way teleconferencing public participation and adopt, on or before July 1, 2026, a policy addressing how the City will respond to disruptions in telephonic or internet service that prevent members of the public from attending or observing a meet ing remotely. This policy would be adopted to comply with that requirement and to ensure continuity of public participation during technical disruptions.
The following provisions of SB 707 apply to an “eligible legislative body,” defined as a City Council in a city with a population of 30,000 or more, or in a county with a population of more than 600,000. The City Council qualifies as an “eligible” legislative body” under this definition and is therefore subject to the following requirements effective July 1, 2026. These provisions do not apply to City commissions.
SB 707 Remote Public Access Requirement.
SB 707 requires that t he public be able to participate through either a two -way phone or audio-visual platform during City Council meetings . The City’s current system has been upgraded to enable a two -way phone access during Council meetings through the Zoom webinar feature.
Item 478/2025
The City Council must also approve a disruption policy addressing the following:
In case of technological disruption, the City Council must recess the open session for at least one hour and make a good faith attempt to restore the service. The City Council may not reconvene until after one hour or until the telephonic/internet service is restored, whichever is earlier. Upon reconvening the open session, if telephonic or internet service has not been restored, the City Council must make a finding by roll call vote that good faith efforts were made to restore the telephonic/internet service and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote access.
Translation Assistance at Meetings.
The City must “reasonably assist” any member of the public who wishes to translate a City Council meeting into any language or wishes to receive interpre tation provided by another member of the public. The City m ust publicize instructions on how to request translation assistance. This requirement does not require the City to provide interpreters at its meetings, but may elect to do so.
Translation of Agendas.
The City must translate each City Council meeting agenda into all languages spoken jointly by 20% or more of the City’s population, provided that 20% or more of the population that speaks that language speaks English “less than ‘very well,’” and then post each translated agenda in the same manner as the agenda printed in English. This requirement applies only to the agenda itself, not the entire agenda packet. The eligible languages for the City are Spanish and Vietnamese.
In addition, the City must provide a physical location to allow members of the public to post their own additional translations of the agenda.
Additional Required Actions to Encourage Residents from Underrepresented and Non-English Speaking Communities to Participate in Meetings.
The City m ust have system in place for electronically accepting and fulfilling requests for meeting agendas and documents. The City must also have an accessible internet webpage dedicated to public meetings with a direct link on the homepage. This webpa ge must be translated into eligible languages and each translation must be accessible through a prominent direct link posted on the primary internet website home page of the City. Finally, the City must make reasonable efforts to invite groups that do not traditionally participate in public meetings to attend.
The following provisions of SB 707 apply to City Council as well as all City Commissions.
New Reasonable Accommodation Provision for Council and Boards.
Members of the Council and Commissions may participate via teleconference due to a disability under certain circumstances. Members of the Council and Commissions with a Item 478/2025
disability may be permitted to participate in a meeting by remote participation as a reasonable accommodation, without having to post an agenda at, or to allow public access to, the location from which they are participating by teleconference. The member participating remotely due to a disability is required to and must participate by both audio and video technologies (unless their physical condition results in a need to participate off camera) and must disclose whether anyone 18 years of age or older are present in the room and the nature of the member’s relationship to those individuals. Remote participation under this provision would be treated as in-person attendance for all purposes, including quorum requirements.
Changes to Alternative Teleconferencing Provisions.
SB 707 revises and expands the Brown Act’s existing alternative teleconferencing provisions.
These changes include the following:
Sunset date extended from January 1, 2026, to January 1, 2030. A uniform set of requirements that apply in all circumstances in which members of a legislative body are permitted to participate in a meeting from a remote location via teleconference without posting an agenda at or allowing public access to their teleconference location. These uniform requirements are substantially similar to the existing requirements that apply to teleconferencing during a “proclaimed state of emergency” and for “just cause” and “emergency circumstances” and require in most instances that the local agency provide either (1) a two-way audiovisual platform, or (2) a two-way telephonic service - and a live webcasting of the meeting for the public to remotely hear and visually observe the meeting, that the agenda describe how the public may access the meeting, and that the legislative body take no further action on any items on the agenda if remote access is disrupted and not restored. Remote participation under the alternative teleconferencing provisions would once again be allowed during “local emergencies,” in addition to states of emergency proclaimed by the Governor.
The definitions of “emergency circumstances” and “just cause” authorizing a member to participate via teleconference are now combined into a single definition of “just cause” and expanded to include an immunocompromised relative or domestic partner and certain military service obligations.
Must create a list of available meeting locations . Curren tly, the list includes the Community Meeting Center and the Courtyard Center.
Subject to several limitations and requirements, the option for remote meeting participation for eligible subsidiary bodies may be extended to commissions, which serve exclusivel y in an advisory capacity. The Planning Commission would not be eligible because they are not purely advisory.
Members of multijurisdictional, cross-county bodies would be permitted to participate in meetings using the alternative teleconferencing provisio ns under specified circumstances.
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Other Notable Changes to the Brown Act.
Must provide a copy of the Brown Act to every elected or appointed legislative body member.
A legislative body is prohibited from adjusting its own compensation at a special meeting.
The current provisions of the Brown Act requiring an oral report prior to approving any changes made to the compensation or benefits of a local agency executive have been extended to changes in compensation or benefits of department heads, as well. The Ja nuary 1, 2026 sunset date for AB 992’s social media restrictions has been removed. This law prohibits a majority of the members of a legislative body from using social media platforms to discuss among themselves official business, including making posts, c ommenting and even using digital icons known as “emojis”. This law also prohibits a member of the legislative body from responding directly to any communication on an internet-based social media platform regarding a matter that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body that is posted or shared by another member.
The existing authority of a legislative body to remove or limit participation by persons who engage in behavior that disrupts the orderly conduct of the meeting, has been extended to include members of the public participating in a meeting remotely via a two-way telephonic service or a two -way audiovisual platform who engage in such behavior.
DISCUSSION
The amendments to Manual of Procedures for City Council Meetings establish procedures for responding to a disruption in telephonic or internet services that provide two -way remote public access to meetings of the Garden Grove City Council, as required by the Brown Act (Gov. Code Section 54953.4), as well as other changes intended to insure that every member of the public who wishes to address the City Council has a meaningful opportunity to address the City Council . This policy ensures transparency, public participation, and continuity of government during technology disrup tions. Staff will monitor implementation and update procedures as needed to ensure continued compliance with state law and best practices through the duration of the revisions to the Brown Act enacted under SB 707.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact in adopting the technology disruptions policy and other revisions to the Manual of Procedures for City Council Meetings.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council:
Item 478/2025
Adopt a Resolution amending the Manual of Procedure for City Council Meetings to incorporate the Technology Disruption Policy addressing telephonic or internet service disruption at public meetings and other conforming revisions.
ATTACHMENT(S)
Resolution