SB 707: Brown Act
Modernization
City of Huntington Beach Compliance
June 2, 2026
Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Updated Regulations
• Remote Participation
• Managing Disruptions
• Social Media
• Compensation Reporting
• Accessibility
• Language and Outreach
• Policy Adoption
• Resolution No. 2026-17: Technology Disruption
• Ordinance No. 4349: Public Participation &
Disruptive Behavior
Introduction
Intent of SB 707
Modernization of the Brown Act prioritizes
• digital accessibility
• evolved teleconferencing rules
• language access
Full implementation required before July 1, 2026.
AB 361 (2020)
Pandemic-era
flexibility for remote
meetings without
physical locations.
(Expired)
Interim
City of Huntington
Beach opted out of
remote meetings.
(December 2022)
SB 707 (2025)
Updates rules through
2030.
Eligibility
Eligible Legislative Body - City Council in a city with a population of 30,000 or more in a county with a population of more than 600,000.
Huntington Beach City Council qualifies as an “Eligible Legislative Body.” Eligible Legislative Body City of Huntington Beach
Population >30,000 Population ~196,000
Training & Distribution
Full copy of the Brown Act provided to all elected and appointed members. • Materials will be distributed when onboarding new officials and following any legislative updates for existing members.
Updated Regulations
• Remote Participation
• Social Media
• Compensation Reporting
• Managing Disruptions – Meeting Decorum
• Digital Accessibility
• Language
• Outreach
Remote Participation - Member
Remote participation allowed for City Council Members as a “reasonable accommodation”.
• Disability/ADA
• Just Cause – childcare or caregiving, military service • Emergency Circumstances – contagious illness
• Remote participation due to disability counts toward quorum. • Audio and video participation unless disability prohibits video use.
Disclosures
• Disclosure at roll call and update as needed.
• Disclose anyone over the age of 18 present in the room and relationship.
• Max Remote Uses/Year = 5 per member.
Remote Participation:
Two-Way Public Access
The City must provide live two-way telephonic or audiovisual access.
• Zoom Webinar for public participation will start June 2026. • Accessibility Standards - Dial-in numbers and meeting links must be clearly posted on the agenda and tested prior to start to ensure barrier-free access.
• City Council must adopt a policy for technological disruptions. • Resolution No. 2026-17 proposed for adoption this evening.
Managing Disruptions - Technology
Technology Disruption
Mandatory Pause If remote access service fails, the City Council must recess while staff restores the connection.
Public Notification Staff must immediately post real-time status updates on the meeting webpage and announce the delay on all available social channels.
Physical Access The physical meeting room must remain open and accessible to the public during the entire recess period.
The “Public Interest
Finding”
If remote service is not restored after 1 hour, the City Council may make a formal finding that the "public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the lack of remote access.“
Roll Call Requirement This finding must be adopted by a recorded roll call vote before any further business occurs.
Record Keeping Record the finding verbatim in the minutes and post notice on the meeting recap page.
Update meeting disruption procedures for remote participants. • Opportunity to implement broader decorum and participation policy Managing Disruptions - Decorum
Authority to Remove Clarifies statutory authority to remove disruptive remote participants to maintain the orderly conduct
of the meeting.
The Warning Rule Issue a specific warning before muting or disconnecting a disruptive user.
Neutral Application Establish clear conduct rules (e.g., time limits, profanity) and apply them neutrally to all speakers.
Social Media and Compensation Reporting
Social Media
Compensation Reporting
Sunset Removed Social media interaction rules (AB 992) are now permanent
Permitted
Engagement
Officials MAY engage with the public's posts on City
matters (e.g., answering questions on a resident's post).
Strict Prohibition Officials CANNOT respond to, like, share, or repost other City Council Members' content on the same topic to avoid “serial meetings.”
Open Session Report An oral report must be made in open session before taking final action on compensation.
Expanded Scope Requirement now applies to all "department heads" (previously only required for executives such as the City Manager).
Required Details The verbal report will include the position title, a summary of compensation elements, and any contract changes.
Accessibility
Agenda Request System
• A system must be in place for electronically accepting and fulfilling requests for agendas and meeting documents.
• City is compliant with a direct link from the City’s homepage to the City Council agendas.
Webpage
• Dedicated Webpage - Maintain a specific "Public Meetings" webpage. The interface and agenda page itself must be
translated into applicable languages.
• Content Standards - Dial-in/AV instructions.
Language and Outreach
Language Access
• 20% threshold for translation of agendas into applicable languages, when non-English language(s) spoken by at least 20% of residents, when at least 20% of those residents also report speaking English “less than very well.”
• Make a publicly accessible space for the public to post translated agendas.
Outreach
• Must make reasonable efforts of outreach to underrepresented and non-English speaking communities.
Policy Adoption
Policy Adoption
Policies must be adopted in open session at a noticed
public meeting and not placed on the Consent Calendar.
Recommended Action
• Adopt Resolution No. 2026-17 Technology Disruption
During Public Comments
• Approve for introduction Ordinance No. 4349 Public
Participation and Disruptive Behavior
Questions?