PA^6^0
^'^^
07 •h *
© z03 0<® 0•«;
^^ <>^ 0^^ ^rio
TO:
FROM:
I
Agenda Report:
SUBJECT:
DATE: August 31, 2026
Honorable Mayor and City Council
City Clerk
ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF PASADENA ADOPTING A REMOTE ACCESS
DISRUPTION POLICY FOR CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS IN
COMPLIANCE WITH SENATE BILL 707 AND GOVERNMENT CODE
SECTION 54953.4
RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Council:
(1) Find that the proposed action is not a "project" subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 and within the meaning of Section 15378(b); and
(2) Adopt a resolution adopting a Remote Access Disruption Policy for City Council Meetings in compliance with Senate Bill 707 and Government Code Section 54953.4.
BACKGROUND:
Pasadena City Council meetings are conducted in accordance with Government Code Section 54950 (Ralph M. Brown Act), which ensures public transparency and promotes public participation in local government. At the end of 2025, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 707 (Durazo), which was signed by Governor Newsom, amending the Brown Act to add (among other provisions) a requirement for two-way audiovisual public participation to facilitate remote public access to City Council meetings. As it happens, the Pasadena City Council meetings have been utilizing this type of remote public access since the Covid-19 pandemic via the Zoom Meeting platform, so this requirement does not change the City's current Council meeting process.
One requirement added under SB 707 for remote participation does necessitate that the City Council adopt a policy that articulates the City's plan to address technical disruptions to remote public access that may occur during meetings, including issues with the two- way audiovisual platform or loss of internet connectivity. City staff has researched other policies from adjacent jurisdictions, and presents the, "Technology Disruption Policy for City Council Meetings" (Exhibit A to the resolution) for City Council consideration. In short, this policy establishes the required procedures to ensure compliance with state law and to maintain transparency and public meeting access in the event a disruption occurs affecting remote public access and participation.
i
MEETING OF08/31/2026AGENDA ITEM NO.11
Remote Access Disruption Policy
August 31, 2026
Remote Access Disruption Policy
SB 707 amended the Brown Act to now require that a meeting stop and recess until technical issues are resolved, or at least one hour has passed (during which, City staff attempts good faith efforts to resolve the disruption), whichever occurs first. Following are the highlights of the proposed Remote Access Disruption Policy:
• When a disruption occurs, the Mayor shall stop proceedings and announce that the meeting will recess due to technical issues occurring with remote public access to the meeting.
• During the recess of the open meeting to address the disruption, the City Council may return to closed session to consider matters listed on the closed session agenda for that meeting.
• Good faith efforts to restore the two-way audiovisual platform service must be performed during the one-hour recess, and a written description of those efforts shall be recorded by City staff.
• If the disruption cannot be fixed, and more than one hour has passed, the City Council may reconvene the meeting without restoration of the two-way audiovisual platform only after all the following occurs:
o The Mayor reconvenes the meeting and states that City staff's good faith efforts to restore remote public meeting access were unsuccessful; o City staff distributes and verbally reports out a description of the good faith efforts made to restore remote meeting access; and
• The City Council approves a motion that: 1) accepts that good faith efforts were made to restore remote public meeting access but were unsuccessful; and 2) determines that the public interest in continuing the in-person meeting outweighs the public interest in providing remote public meeting access and participation. • Alternatively, the City Council may opt not to continue the meeting, and may adjourn proceedings to a future date and time in accordance with the Brown Act FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no anticipated fiscal impact related to the adoption of the Remote Access Disruption Policy.
Respectfully submitted,
M^rky
Cle City