1 City Council Meeting June 23, 2026 Santa Monica, California RESOLUTION NUMBER _________ (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA ADOPTING A POLICY ADDRESSING DISRUPTION OF
TELEPHONIC OR INTERNET SERVICE DURING PUBLIC MEETINGS AND
DETERMINING REASONABLE EFFORTS TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54953.4
WHEREAS, the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code section 54950 et seq.) establishes requirements for open and public meetings of local legislative bodies; and WHEREAS, Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Brown Act to update teleconferencing and accessibility requirements, including provisions related to remote participation in public meetings, and added requirements intended to encourage participation in public meetings, particularly among communities that do not traditionally participate in public meetings and non-English-speaking communities; and WHEREAS, Government Code section 54953.4(b)(1)(A) requires eligible legislative bodies, on or before July 1, 2026, to adopt at a noticed public meeting in open session, and not on the consent calendar, a policy addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service during meetings conducted with remote participation; and WHEREAS, the required policy must address procedures for recessing and reconvening a meeting in the event of a disruption and the efforts the legislative body will make to attempt to restore service; and
WHEREAS, Government Code section 54953.4 further requires that, in the event of a disruption preventing members of the public from observing or participating in the 2 meeting through a two-way telephonic or audiovisual platform, the legislative body shall recess the open session for at least one hour and make a good faith effort to restore service, and may not reconvene open session until at least one hour has passed or service has been restored, whichever occurs first; and
WHEREAS, if telephonic or internet service has not been restored upon reconvening, the legislative body must make findings by roll call vote that good faith efforts to restore service have been made and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access; and WHEREAS, adoption of a technology disruption policy is required to ensure compliance with state law and to promote transparency and continuity of public meetings; and
WHEREAS, the proposed policy addressing disruption of telephonic or internet service during meetings of the City Council has been prepared in accordance with Government Code section 54953.4 and is attached hereto as Exhibit 1; and WHEREAS, Government Code section 54953.4(b)(3)(C) requires the City Council to determine and make reasonable efforts to invite groups that do not traditionally participate in public meetings to attend those meetings; and WHEREAS, such reasonable efforts may include outreach to media organizations serving the jurisdiction, including those serving non-English-speaking communities, as well as civic, neighborhood, community-based, civil rights, and good government organizations; and
3 WHEREAS, Government Code section 54953.4(b)(3)(C)(ii) provides legislative bodies with broad discretion in determining appropriate reasonable efforts and clarifies that no action shall arise from failing to provide notice to any specific group; and WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica is committed to promoting transparency, accessibility, and broad public participation in its public meetings; and WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica currently uses a variety of communication methods to inform the public of meetings and opportunities to participate.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Adoption of Policy. The City Council hereby adopts the policy entitled “Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During Public Meetings,” substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit 1.
SECTION 2. Implementation. The City Clerk is authorized and directed to implement the policy in coordination with agency staff, legal counsel, and technology support staff, as appropriate.
SECTION 3. Minor Modifications. The City Attorney may approve minor, nonsubstantive modifications to the disruption policy as necessary to conform to applicable law, agency practices, or formatting requirements, provided such modifications do not materially alter the intent of the policy.
SECTION 4. Determination of Reasonable Efforts. The City Council determines the following to constitute reasonable efforts to encourage participation in meetings pursuant to Government Code section 54953.4(b)(3)(C):
4 1. Media Outreach. The City of Santa Monica may include media organizations serving the jurisdiction, including media organizations serving non-English-speaking communities, in the distribution of meeting agendas, notices, or other meetingrelated information, as appropriate.
2. Electronic Access and Agenda Subscriptions. The City of Santa Monica shall maintain methods for members of the
public to access meeting agendas and related materials
electronically, including through the City of Santa Monica website or other regular agenda-posting platform. Where available, the City of Santa Monica may also provide options for members of the public to subscribe to receive meeting agendas, notices, or other updates.
3. Multilingual Communication. The City of Santa Monica may use multilingual communication methods to increase
awareness of meetings and participation opportunities,
including translated agendas, translated meeting instructions, multilingual social media posts, website notices, or other communication tools, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law and available resources.
4. Community and Organizational Outreach. The City of
Santa Monica may provide meeting information through
existing communication channels and partnerships with
5 community-based organizations, neighborhood groups, civic organizations, civil rights organizations, good government organizations, and organizations serving non-Englishspeaking communities, as opportunities arise and consistent with available resources.
5. Use of Existing Communication Channels. The City of
Santa Monica may use existing outreach methods to share meeting information and participation opportunities, including, but not limited to, the agency website, email notifications, agenda subscription services, newsletters, social media platforms, public counters, bulletin boards, community
meetings, and other established communication tools.
SECTION 5. Flexible Framework. The efforts identified in this Resolution are intended to provide a flexible framework for outreach and public participation. The City of Santa Monica may modify, expand, or adjust its outreach methods over time based on available resources, evolving communication practices, changes in technology, and the needs of the community.
SECTION 6. No Requirement to Provide Notice to Any Specific Group.
Consistent with Government Code Section 54953.4(b)(3)(C)(ii), this Resolution does not require notice to any specific group or organization, and no action shall arise from the failure to provide notice to any specific group or organization.
SECTION 7. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect. 6 APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
HEIDI VON TONGELN
City Attorney
Exhibit 1
Policy: Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During Public Meetings
1. Background
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.
2. 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 Brown Act (Gov. Code section 54953.4). The policy ensures transparency, public participation, and continuity of government during technology disruptions.
3. Definitions
For purposes of this policy:
• “Disruption” means any failure, outage, or other interruption that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting, or providing public comment via these 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 meetings, and allowing for public comment.
4. Applicability
This policy applies to all open and public meetings of the City Council that are subject to Government Code section 54953.4 and at which remote public participation is offered or required under the Brown Act.
5. Procedures in the Event of a Service Disruption
5.1.Response to Service Disruption
If the Presiding Officer or Clerk becomes aware of a disruption to the agency’s remote access services that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting remotely:
1. The Presiding Officer or Clerk shall immediately announce the disruption to the public.
2. The Presiding Officer shall then call for a recess of the open session. During the recess, the legislative body may convene 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 occurs earlier. The recess period may be extended if restoration efforts are ongoing.
5.2.Efforts to Restore Service
The agency shall make good faith efforts to restore remote access services, which may include:
• Troubleshooting platform or teleconferencing software • Resetting or replacing audiovisual equipment
• Attempting alternative connection methods
• Contacting necessary support staff or service providers • Switching to back-up equipment or platforms, if available The City Clerk shall document the restoration efforts undertaken.
6. Reconvening the Open Session
6.1.Timing
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.
6.2.If Service Is Restored
If the remote access service is restored before or at the time the meeting reconvenes, the meeting shall continue as normal.
6.3.If Service Is Not Restored
If service has not been restored after one hour, the City Council may reconvene and:
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 of Santa Monica 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 adoption of the finding, the legislative body may continue the open session even though remote access services have not been restored.
7. Recordkeeping
The Clerk shall enter a brief statement into the meeting minutes, including the following:
• The nature and time of the disruption
• The restoration efforts undertaken
• The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable)
• Any finding adopted pursuant to Section 6.3
8. 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.