RESOLUTION NO. 26-30
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWALK
ADOPTING A POLICY ADDRESSING DISRUPTION OF TELEPHONIC
OR INTERNET SERVICE DURING PUBLIC MEETINGS FOR
COMPLIANCE WITH SENATE BILL 707
WHEREAS, the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code §54950 et seq.) establishes requirements for open and public meetings of local legislative bodies; and WHEREAS, Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Brown Act to update teleconferencing and accessibility requirements, including provisions related to remote participation in public meetings; and
WHEREAS, Government Code §54953.4(b)(1)(A) requires eligible legislative bodies, on or before July 1, 2026, to adopt at a noticed public meeting in open session, and not on the consent calendar, a policy addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service during meetings conducted with remote participation; and WHEREAS, the required policy must address procedures for recessing and reconvening a meeting in the event of a disruption and the efforts the legislative body will make to attempt to restore service; and
WHEREAS, Government Code §54953.4 further requires that, in the event of a disruption preventing members of the public from observing or participating in the meeting through a two-way telephonic or audiovisual platform, the legislative body shall recess the open session for at least one hour and make a good faith effort to restore service, and may not reconvene open session until at least one hour has passed or service has been restored, whichever occurs first; and
WHEREAS, if telephonic or internet service has not been restored upon reconvening, the legislative body must make findings by roll call vote that good faith efforts to restore service have been made and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access; and WHEREAS, adoption of a technology disruption policy is required to ensure compliance with state law and to promote transparency and continuity of public meetings; and
WHEREAS, the proposed policy addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service during meetings of the CITY COUNCIL has been prepared in accordance with Government Code §54953.4 and is attached hereto as Exhibit 1; and WHEREAS, the activity is not a “Project” as defined under §15378 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) State Guidelines; therefore, pursuant to State Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3), no environmental review is required.
Attachment No. 1
Resolution No. 26-30 Page 2 of 5
4 8
4 5
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORWALK HEREBY DETERMINES, FINDS, AND RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Adoption of Policy. The City Council hereby adopts the policy entitled “Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During Public Meetings,” substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit No. 1.
Section 2. Implementation. The City Clerk is authorized and directed to implement the policy in coordination with agency staff, legal counsel, and technology support staff, as appropriate.
Section 3. Minor Modifications. The City Attorney may approve minor, non- substantive modifications to the policy as necessary to conform to applicable law, agency practices, or formatting requirements, provided such modifications do not materially alter the intent of the policy.
Section 4. The Mayor, or presiding officer, is hereby authorized to affix her signature to this Resolution signifying its adoption by the City Council of the City of Norwalk and the City Clerk, or her duly appointed assistant, is directed to attest thereto.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED on this 2nd day of June 2026.
_____________________________
JENNIFER PEREZ
MAYOR
ATTEST:
____________________________
THERESA DEVOY, CMC
CITY CLERK
Resolution No. 26-30 Page 3 of 5
4 8
4 5
City of Norwalk
Policy Statement
Number: 26-01
Subject: Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During Public Meetings for Compliance with SB 707
Adopted Date: June 2, 2026
Effective Date: July 1, 2026
Section 1. Background.
Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Brown Act to require eligible legislative bodies to adopt, on or before July 1, 2026, a policy addressing how the agency will respond to disruptions in telephonic or internet service that prevent members of the public from attending or observing a meeting remotely. This policy is adopted to comply with that requirement and to ensure continuity of public participation during technical disruptions.
This policy is not to address public participation disruption or activities by members of the public which disrupt and interfere with public meetings.
Section 3. Purpose.
This policy establishes procedures for responding to a disruption in the telephonic or internet services that provide two-way remote public access to meetings of the City Council, as required by the Brown Act (Gov. Code §54953.4). The policy ensures transparency, public participation, and continuity of government during technology disruptions.
Section 2. Definitions.
For purposes of this policy:
“Disruption” means any failure, outage, or other interruption that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting via these remote access services.
“Remote access services” means the two-way telephonic service and/or two-way audiovisual platform used to provide real-time remote public attendance and observation of meetings.
Section 4. Policy.
This policy applies to all open and public meetings of the City Council at which remote public participation is offered or required under the Brown Act.
Exhibit No. 1
Resolution No. 26-30 Page 4 of 5
4 8
4 5
Procedures in the Event of a Service Disruption
1. Response to Service Disruption
The City Clerk, in consultation with City staff responsible for meeting technology or information systems, shall determine whether a disruption to remote access services has occurred that prevents members of the public from observing or participating in the meeting remotely. If the City Clerk determines or is informed that a disruption has occurred:
a.The Clerk shall immediately inform the Mayor and members of the City Council of the disruption and the Mayor may announce the interruption to the public. b.The Presiding Officer may then call for a recess of the open session or convene the legislative body in closed session, consistent with the Brown Act. c.Staff shall begin efforts to diagnose and restore the disrupted service. d.The meeting shall remain in recess for at least one hour or until service is restored, whichever is sooner. The recess period may be extended if restoration efforts are ongoing.
2. Efforts to Restore Service
The City shall make good faith efforts to restore remote access services, which may include:
Troubleshooting platform or teleconferencing software
Resetting or replacing audiovisual equipment
Attempting alternative connection methods
Contacting necessary support staff or service providers Switching to back-up equipment or platforms, if available The City Clerk shall document the restoration efforts undertaken.
3. Options to Reconvene the Open Session
The meeting shall continue as normal if the issue is resolved within the 60-minute recess period.
If remote access services cannot be restored during the 60-minute recess period, City Council shall consider:
a.adjourning the meeting to a future date and time; or
b.continuing the meeting in open session by adopting the following finding by roll call vote:
Resolution No. 26-30 Page 5 of 5
4 8
4 5
“The City Council has made good faith efforts to restore telephonic or internet service in accordance with its adopted policy, and the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.” Upon adoption of the finding, the legislative body may continue the open session despite the fact that remote access services have not been restored.
4. Recordkeeping
The Clerk shall enter a brief statement into the meeting minutes, including the following:
The nature and time of the disruption
The restoration efforts undertaken
The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable)
Any finding adopted pursuant to Section 3.c.
EFFECTIVE DATE
This policy shall become effective July 1, 2026.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2nd day of June 2026.
____________________________
JENNIFER PEREZ
MAYOR