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Agenda Item No: 3.a
PLACENTIA CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Meeting Date: June 16, 2026
Submitted by: Brooke Lovell
From: City Clerk
Subject:
ADOPTION OF CITY COUNCIL POLICY NO. 136 - TECHNOLOGICAL DISRUPTION
DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Financial Impact:
None.
Summary:
Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Ralph M. Brown Act to require all eligible legislative bodies, including the Placentia City Council, to provide two-way remote public participation beginning July 1, 2026, and to adopt a formal policy describing how disruptions to telephonic or Internet services will be handled during public meetings.
Proposed City Council Policy No. 136 establishes the procedures the City will follow in the event of a disruption to services preventing members of the public from listening, observing, or participating remotely in a City Council meeting. The policy outlines the steps taken by the Presiding Officer, City Clerk, and Staff when a disruption occurs; requires good -faith efforts to restore service; and clarifies how and when the City Council may recess, reconvene, or continue its meeting if remote access remains unavailable.
Adoption of Policy No. 136 ensures compliance with SB 707 and helps maintain transparency, operational consistency, and accessibility during technological interruptions.
Recommended Action:
It is recommended that the City Council:
Adopt City Council Policy No. 136 - Technological Disruption During City Council Meetings, effective July 1, 2026, in order to comply with SB 707.
Strategic Plan Statement:
This item supports Strategic Plan Goal No. 5: Organizational Excellence, by promoting transparent, consistent, and compliant public meeting procedures. The policy strengthens internal processes and ensures the City can maintain accessibility and continuity of government even during technological disruptions.
Discussion:
SB 707 requires the City Council to adopt a written policy describing how the City will respond 1 when a disruption in telephonic or internet service prevents the public from participating remotely. These requirements take effect July 1, 2026, and apply only to meetings of the City Council.
Policy No. 136 provides a clear response framework. When a disruption occurs, the Presiding Officer will announce the issue and recess the meeting while Staff works to restore service.
The City Council may continue any properly noticed closed session during this period. Good - faith restoration efforts may include troubleshooting equipment or software, attempting alternative connections, contacting technical support, or using backup systems.
If service is restored within one hour, the meeting will resume as normal. If not, the Council may either adjourn or continue the meeting after adopting the required Brown Act finding that good -faith efforts were made and that continuing the meeting serves the public interest. The policy also directs the Clerk to record the disruption, restoration efforts, and City Council actions in the meeting minutes.
The policy aligns with current operational capabilities and maintains flexibility for Staff to use the most appropriate restoration methods based on the circumstances. It also reflects best practices observed in other jurisdictions preparing for SB 707 implementation.
Financial Summary:
None.
Attachments
DRAFT - POLICY NO. 136 TECHNOLOGICAL DISRUPTION DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS.docx
2 ELECTED OFFICIALS POLICY NO. 136
TECHNOLOGICAL DISRUPTION DURING CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
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 Ralph M. Brown Act (Gov. Code § 54953.4).
Applicability
This policy applies only to meetings of the City Council at which two-way remote public participation is offered or required.
This policy does not apply to City boards, commissions or committees, nor does it apply to disruptions of one-way livestream or broadcast services. A meeting may continue if one-way services fail, provided two-way public access remains functional.
Definitions
"Disruption" means any failure, outage, or interruption of the City's telephonic or internet service that prevents the public from attending or observing a meeting through the City's two-way 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 City Council meetings.
Response to a Disruption
If the Presiding Officer or City Clerk/ Deputy City Clerk becomes aware of a disruption to the City's remote access services:
• The disruption shall immediately be announced to the public. • The Presiding Officer shall then call for a recess of the open session. A disruption does not preclude the City Council from meeting in a closed session that has been properly noticed and is consistent with the Ralph M. Brown Act. • Staff shall begin efforts to identify and restore the disrupted service. • The meeting shall remain in recess for at least one hour or until the service is restored, whichever occurs first. The recess may be extended while restoration efforts continue.
Efforts to Restore Service
The City shall make good -faith efforts to restore remote access services, which may include:
• Troubleshooting the teleconferencing platform or software
DRAFT POLICY MANUAL CITY COUNCIL
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3 ELECTED OFFICIALS POLICY NO. 136
• Resetting or replacing audiovisual equipment
• Attempting alternative connection methods
• Contacting technical support staff or service providers • Using available backup equipment or platforms
The technical staff shall document the restoration efforts undertaken.
Reconvening the Meeting
If Service Is Restored
If remote access service is restored before or at the time the meeting reconvenes, the meeting will continue as normal.
If Service Is Not Restored After One Hour
If service has not been restored after one hour, the City Council may reconvene to take one of the following actions:
1. Adjourn the meeting; or
2. Continue the meeting in open session by adopting, by roll -call vote, the following or a substantially similar finding:
"The City 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 adopting this finding, the City Council may resume open session even though remote access services have not been restored.
Recordkeepinq
The City Clerk/ Deputy City Clerk shall document the disruption in the meeting minutes, including:
• The nature and time of the disruption
• The restoration efforts undertaken
• The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable)
• Any finding adopted pursuant to this policy
Review and Updates
This policy may be amended by the City Council at a noticed public meeting in open session, not on the consent calendar.
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