Senate Bill No. 1100
CHAPTER 171
An act to add Section 54957.95 to the Government Code, relating to local government.
[Approved by Governor August 22, 2022. Filed with Secretary of State August 22, 2022.]
legislative counsel’s digest
SB 1100, Cortese. Open meetings: orderly conduct.
(1) Existing la w, the Ralph M. Bro wn Act, requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a legislative body of a local agency, as those terms are defined, be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate. Existing la w requires e very agenda for re gular meetings of a local agenc y to provide an opportunity for members of the public to directly address the legislative body on any item of interest to the public, before or during the le gislative body’s consideration of the item, that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body. Existing law authorizes the legislative body to adopt reasonable regulations to ensure that the intent of the provisions relating to this public comment requirement is carried out, including, b ut not limited to, re gulations limiting the total amount of time allocated for public testimon y on particular issues and for each indi vidual speak er. Existing la w authorizes the members of the legislative body conducting the meeting to order the meeting room cleared and continue in session, as prescribed, if a group or groups ha ve willfully interrupted the orderly conduct of a meeting and order cannot be restored by the removal of individuals who are willfully interrupting the meeting.
This bill would authorize the presiding member of the le gislative body conducting a meeting or their designee to remove, or cause the removal of, an individual for disrupting the meeting. The bill, except as provided, would require remo val to be preceded by a w arning to the indi vidual by the presiding member of the le gislative body or their designee that the individual’s behavior is disrupting the meeting and that the indi vidual’s failure to cease their beha vior may result in their remo val. The bill would authorize the presiding member or their designee to then remo ve the individual if the individual does not promptly cease their disruptive behavior.
The bill would define “disrupting” for this purpose.
(2) 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.
92 (3) 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 la ws 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.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a) It is the intent of the Le gislature to prescribe requirements for governing public meetings that are consistent with subdivision (c) of Section 54954.3 of the Go vernment Code, which pro vides that a le gislative body of a local agenc y shall not prohibit public criticism of the policies, procedures, programs, or services of the agency, or of the acts or omissions of the legislative body.
(b) It is further the intent of the Legislature to prescribe requirements for governing public meetings to protect civil liberties in accordance with the United States Constitution, the California Constitution, and relevant law. (c) It is further the intent of the Le gislature to codify the authority and standards for governing public meetings in accordance with Acosta v. City of Costa Mesa, 718 F .3d 800, 811 (9th Cir . 2013), in which the court explained that an ordinance governing the decorum of a city council meeting is not f acially overbroad if it only permits a presiding officer to eject an attendee for actually disturbing or impeding a meeting.
SEC. 2. Section 54957.95 is added to the Government Code, to read:
54957.95. (a) (1) In addition to authority exercised pursuant to Sections 54954.3 and 54957.9, the presiding member of the le gislative body conducting a meeting or their designee may remo ve, or cause the removal of, an individual for disrupting the meeting.
(2) Prior to remo ving an indi vidual, the presiding member or their designee shall w arn the indi vidual that their beha vior is disrupting the meeting and that their f ailure to cease their beha vior may result in their removal. The presiding member or their designee may then remo ve the individual if the y do not promptly cease their disrupti ve beha vior. This paragraph does not apply to any behavior described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (b).
(b) As used in this section:
(1) “Disrupting” means eng aging in beha vior during a meeting of a legislative body that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and includes, b ut is not limited to, one of the following:
(A) A failure to comply with reasonable and lawful regulations adopted by a legislative body pursuant to Section 54954.3 or any other law. 92 — 2 — Ch. 171
(B) Engaging in behavior that constitutes use of force or a true threat of force.
(2) “True threat of force” means a threat that has sufficient indicia of intent and seriousness, that a reasonable observ er would perceive it to be an actual threat to use force by the person making the threat.
SEC. 3. The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which adds Section 54957.95 to the Government Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional pro vision, the Legislature makes the follo wing findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:
This act is necessary to gi ve le gislative bodies clear authorization to restore order to meetings in the event of actual disruptions that are disturbing, disrupting, impeding, or rendering infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and, thereby, preserve the rights of other members of the public at the meeting and allo w the legislative body to continue its w ork on behalf of the public.
SEC. 4. The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which adds Section 54957.95 to the Government Code, furthers, within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the purposes of that constitutional section as it relates to the right of public access to the meetings of local public bodies or the writings of local public officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings:
This act is necessary to gi ve le gislative bodies clear authorization to restore order to meetings in the event of actual disruptions that are disturbing, disrupting, impeding, or rendering infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and, thereby, preserve the rights of other members of the public at the meeting and allo w the legislative body to continue its w ork on behalf of the public.
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