CITY OF SAN MATEO
RESOLUTION NO. (2026)
APPROVING PUBLIC OUTREACH AND PUBLIC INTERPRETATION ASSISTANCE PRACTICES WHEREAS, the City of San Mateo is committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible, and engaged community and ensuring meaningful public participation in meetings of the City Council and its Boards and Commissions; and
WHEREAS, on October 3, 2025, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 707 (SB 707); and WHEREAS, SB 707 amended the Ralph M. Brown Act to require legislative bodies to implement practices to expand public outreach and provide interpretation assistance; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Section 54953.4(b)(3)(C), beginning July 1, 2026, the City must make reasonable efforts to invite participation from groups that do not traditionally engage in public meetings; and
WHEREAS, to support these efforts, the City Clerk’s Office will maintain and periodically update a list of media organizations, faith-based organizations, community groups, and neighborhood associations and provide notice of City meetings to those groups; and
WHEREAS, the City will continue to provide information on its website inviting organizations and members of the public to register to receive meeting notifications and will review and update outreach contact lists at least annually; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Sections 54953.4(b)(2)(A)–(C), beginning July 1, 2026, the City must reasonably assist members of the public who wish to translate meetings or receive interpretation services, provided such assistance does not disrupt the meeting, and must publicize instructions on how to request such assistance; and
WHEREAS, City Council, Board, and Commission agendas include standardized language informing the public how to request language assistance, disability-related accommodations, and alternative formats in advance of meetings; and
WHEREAS, in furtherance of Government Code Section 54953.4(b)(2), the City will continue to provide accessibility services for public meetings, including closed captioning.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, HEREBY RESOLVES that:
1. This action is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5)). 1 3
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9 2. The City Clerk’s Office shall maintain and update a list of media organizations, faith-based groups, community organizations, and neighborhood associations for the purpose of providing notice of City meetings. The City Council finds that these efforts constitute reasonable measures pursuant to Government Code Section 54953.4(b)(3)(C).
3. Agendas for the City Council, Boards, and Commissions shall continue to include information on how to request language assistance and disability-related accommodations. The City Clerk is authorized to continue providing accessibility services, including those described in this Resolution. The City Manager and City Clerk are authorized to take such actions as necessary to implement and administer the practices described in this resolution.