City of Piedmont
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: May 18, 2026
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: Rosanna Bayon Moore, City Administrator
SUBJECT: Consideration of Approval of City Council Policy No. 35-Disruption of Remote Access to Public Open Meetings of City Council, Pursuant to State Law
RECOMMENDATION
By a single motion, approve City Council Policy No. 35 - Disruption of Remote Access to Public Open Meetings of City Council, pursuant to State Law.
BACKGROUND
On October 3, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), which amends the Brown Act with the intent to diversify and increase public engagement during local government meetings of legislative bodies. Among the various new requirements under SB 707, all qualified legislative bodies must now offer hybrid meetings (through a two-way phone or video platform). Piedmont City Council meetings are already, and will continue to be, conducted in a hybrid format via video platform.
In addition, SB 707 requires the City to formally adopt a policy, on or before July 1, 2026, that outlines the procedures for recessing and reconvening a meeting in the event of disruption and the efforts that the City Council and staff shall make to attempt to restore the service in the event the City Council decides not to adjourn the meeting.
DISCUSSION
The City Attorney’s Office prepared the attached draft policy to satisfy this new State requirement.
The Policy mirrors the meeting disruption regulations that are outlined in SB 707, which require the legislative body to take a recess and attempt to restore service for at least one hour. If service cannot be restored within one hour, the legislative body may continue holding the meeting by conducting a roll-call vote confirming that good faith efforts were made and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the need for remote access. (Cal. Gov. Code § 54953.4(b)(1).) Please note that the public would still be able to view the City Council meeting using any of the following resources:
1) The City’s website at:
https://piedmont.hosted.civiclive.com/cms/One.aspx?portalId=13659823&pageId=14122987 2) Comcast: Channel 27 or AT&T U-verse: Channel 99
3) The meeting location.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with adoption of the proposed policy.
ATTACHMENTS
A. City Council Policy No. 35 - Disruption of Remote Access to Public Open Meetings of City Council
Agenda Report Page 2
CITY OF PIEDMONT
Policy & Procedure
Policy No. 35
Section: City Council
SUBJECT: Disruption of Remote Access to Public Open Meetings of the City Council
INTRODUCTION
Senate Bill 707 (2025) (“SB 707”) requires all “eligible legislative bodies” to offer remote public participation for City Council meetings through either (1) two-way telephonic service or (2) two-way audiovisual platforms. Pursuant to SB 707 definition, the City of Piedmont is an “eligible legislative body.” Additionally, SB 707 amended the Brown Act to require all “eligible legislative bodies” to adopt, on or before July 1, 2026, a policy on how to address telephonic or internet service connection disruption that inhibits the public from accessing or observing a public open meeting of City Council.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures for responding to disruption(s) of telephonic or internet services that provide two-way remote access for the public to attend and participate during open and public meetings of City Council. Pursuant to Government Code Section 54953.4, the City Council adopts this policy to ensure statutory compliance, transparency, and continuity of public participation and government operation during technological disruptions at public open meetings of City Council.
I. DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this policy:
A. “Disruption” means any failure, outage, or other interruption in the City’s telephonic or internet service that prevents members of the public from attending or participating in public open meetings of City Council.
B. “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 public open meetings of City Council.
II. APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to all open and public meetings of City Council at which remote public participation is required per Government Code section 54953.4(b)(1)(A)(i)(I)(ia) but does not apply in those circumstances where the Brown Act provides that remote public access is not required.
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 3
III. DISRUPTION PROCEDURES
A. Response to Disruption of Remote Access Services
If Remote Access Services are disrupted during a public open meeting for City Council then the following steps must take place:
i. City Council shall immediately announce the disruption to the public; ii. City Council must either adjourn the open session or recess from open session for at least one (1) hour to make a good faith effort to restore the Remote Access Services;
iii. During recess, City Council may meet in closed session as permitted by Government Code section 54953.4;
iv. If following recess of the meeting, Remote Access Services have not been restored within (1) hour, then City Council may reconvene the meeting if it adopts, by rollcall vote, a finding that it made good faith efforts to restore the Remote Access Services and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.
B. Efforts to Restore Remote Access Services
City Council shall make good faith efforts to restore Remote Access Services, which may include:
i. Troubleshooting platform or teleconferencing software; ii. Resetting or replacing audiovisual equipment;
iii. Attempting alternative connection methods;
iv. Contacting necessary support staff or service providers; or v. Switching to back-up equipment or platforms, if available.
Pursuant to the Recordkeeping section of this policy, the City Clerk shall make a record and enter into the meeting minutes the disruption and restoration efforts undertaken by City Council.
IV. RECONVENE OPEN SESSION
A. Timing
Open session may reconvene upon restoration of Remote Access Services or if after one (1) hour has elapsed from the time of disruption, the finding required by Section 6.2. of this policy has been adopted by the Council.
B. Inability to Restore Remote Access Services
If Remote Access Services have not been restored after one (1) hour, the City Council may reconvene the meeting in open session only after the following, or a substantially similar, finding is adopted by a roll call vote of the Council:
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 4
“The City Council of the City of Piedmont 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.” V. RECORD-KEEPING
If Remote Access Services were disrupted, then the City Clerk shall make a record and enter into the meeting minutes the following:
A. The nature and time of the disruption;
B. Whether open session was adjourned or City Council complied with the procedures pursuant to Section 5.1;
C. The restoration efforts undertaken;
D. The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable); and E. The finding adopted pursuant to Section 6.2 (if applicable) VI. REVIEW AND UPDATES
This policy, like other City Council policies, may be reviewed and amended from timeto-time by the City Council. As expressly required by the Brown Act, amendments to this policy must be approved at a properly noticed public meeting in open session, and may not be approved on the consent calendar.
Initiated by: California Senate Bill 707 (2026)
Approved by: City Council; Resolution No. XX-2026
Date: May 18, 2026
Attachment A Agenda Report Page 5