CITY OF SAN MATEO
RESOLUTION NO. (2026)
ADOPTING A TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTION POLICY FOR
CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT (SB 707) WHEREAS, the City of San Mateo is committed to preserving and ensuring public access and participation in meetings of the City Council and its legislative bodies; 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 adopt policies addressing procedures in the event of a disruption to telephonic or internet-based access to public meetings; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Government Code Section 54953.4(b)(1)(A), legislative bodies must approve a Technology Disruption Policy prior to July 1, 2026; and
WHEREAS, such policy must establish procedures for recessing and reconvening meetings and outline the good faith efforts the City will undertake to restore disrupted service; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Technology Disruption Policy (“Policy”) ensures compliance with SB 707 and maintains the City’s commitment to transparency and public participation; and WHEREAS, the Policy is proposed to take effect on July 1, 2026.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SAN MATEO DOES HEREBY FIND AND RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
1. This policy adoption is not a project subject to 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).)
2. The Technology Disruption Policy attached as Exhibit A to this Resolution is approved and the City Manager is authorized to make non-substantive changes.
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Technology Disruption Policy for City Council Meetings
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7 Exhibit A
S t a f f P o l i c i e s M a n u a l
Title: Technology Disruption Policy
Policy #: 119
Sponsored by: City Clerk’s Office
Approved by: City Council
Date: Issued: __/__/____ Amended: __/__/____
Purpose and Effective Date
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 shall go into effect on July 1, 2026.
Policy
This policy applies to all open and public meetings in which remote public participation is offered or required under the Brown Act pursuant to Government Code section 54953.4, as may be amended periodically. The policy ensures transparency, public participation, and continuity of government during technology disruptions of the telephonic or internet services facilitating remote participation.
Scope
This policy applies to all open and public meetings of the City Council and advisory bodies at which remote public participation is offered or required under the Brown Act.
Definitions
1. Clerk: the City Clerk or designated Board/Commission Clerk responsible for administering legislative meeting proceedings.
2. Disruption: Any failure, outage, or other interruption that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting via these remote services.
3. Presiding Officer: the Mayor or in their absence, the Deputy Mayor or designated Council Member; Board/Commission Chair, or in their absence, the Vice Chair or designated Board Member/Commissioner/Trustee.
4. Remote access services: The two-way telephonic service and/or two-way audiovisual platform used to provide real-time remote public attendance and observation of meetings.
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7 Responsibility
1. Clerk
A. Restoration of Services
1. Communicate technology disruption event to the Presiding Officer.
2. Coordinate supportive staff and technology partners to address the disruption.
B. Recordkeeping
1. Record efforts to restore services in the meeting minutes.
2. Presiding Officer
A. Calling and declaring official actions of the legislative body, as necessary.
Procedures
1. Response to Service Disruption
A. If a disruption occurs that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting through the agency’s remote access services:
1. Once aware of the disruption, the Presiding Officer or Clerk shall immediately announce the disruption to the public.
2. 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.
3. Staff shall begin efforts to diagnose and restore the disrupted service.
4. 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
A. The City shall make good faith efforts to restore remote access services, which may include, but are not limited to:
1. Troubleshooting platform or teleconferencing software
2. Resetting or replacing audiovisual equipment
3. Attempting alternative connection methods
4. Contacting necessary support staff or service providers Resolution No. (2026) Page 4 of 5
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7 5. Switching to back-up equipment or platforms, if available B. The Clerk shall document the restoration efforts undertaken.
3. Reconvening the Open Session
A. Timing
1. The open session may be reconvened after at least one hour has elapsed from the time of disruption or as soon as service is restored, whichever occurs earlier.
B. If Service Is Restored
1. If remote access service is restored before or at the time the meeting reconvenes, the meeting shall continue as normal.
C. If Service Is Not Restored
1. If service has not been restored when the legislative body is ready to reconvene the legislative body may:
a. Adjourn the meeting
b. Continue the open session by adopting, by rollcall vote, the following finding or a substantially similar one:
“The City has made good faith efforts to restore (telephonic/ internet service) in accordance with its adopted policy, and the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access because _________ [identify the factual basis for making this finding].”
Upon adoption of the finding, the legislative body may continue the open session despite the disruption.
4. Recordkeeping
A. The Clerk shall enter a brief statement into the meeting minutes including the following:
1. The nature and time of the disruption
2. The restoration efforts undertaken
3. The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable)
4. Any finding adopted pursuant to Section 3 regarding reconvening the meeting without restoring remote access service.
5. Review and Updates
A. This policy may be amended by the legislative body at a noticed public meeting in open session, not on the consent calendar.
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7 Related Policies
Note any related policies that should be cross-referenced using the following format:
1.Policy 108 – Public Meeting Security Policy
2.Policy 115 – Public Meeting Reasonable Accommodation Policy
3.Policy 504 – Technology Security Policy
Contact for this Policy
City Clerk
Approval
This policy was issued on ________ and approved by the City Council.
Resolution No. ___