SB 707
Brown Act Amendments -
Council Actions
May 12, 2026 Dina Manis, City Clerk
2 Today’s Presentation
Background on SB 707 Amendments
Prior Council Review/Action
Next Steps
Background
3 The Brown Act
SB 707 (2025)
Implementation
4 Prior Council Review/Action
• Study Session on SB 707
• Council gave direction to staff
March 10, 2026
• Adopted Council Policy 000-76 “
• Repealed Council Policy 000-34 “Citizen
Public Appearances and Addressing the
Council on Agenda Items”
April 21, 2026
5 Amend:
City Council Manual of Procedures & Protocols
Amend:
Council Policy 000-20 “Citizen Participation”
Adopt:
Internet and Telephonic Service Disruption
Policy for City Council Meetings
Introduce:
Ordinance to amend SRCC 1-10 – OG
Next Steps
1. §I.H – Disruptions and §V. G – Decorum and Order, Audience.
2. § II.E – Public Comments on Agenda Items, and both the first and second Public Comments on Non-agenda Matters
3. § IV.B – Right to Address Council - to correct previous clerical errors and remove reference to Council Policy 000-34, and reference SRCC §1-10.060 – Public Access and Comment
4. §IV.D – Manner of addressing Council – to update process for further alignment with SRCC §1-10
6Amend City Council Manual of
Procedures and Protocols
Council affirmed this recommendation during the March 10, 2026, study session.
7Adopt Internet and Telephonic Service Disruption
Policy for City Council Meetings
Council affirmed this recommendation during the March 10, 2026, study session.
Procedures in the Event
of a Service Disruption
Reconvening the Open
Session:
If service restored
If service not restored
Efforts to Restore
Service no less than
1hr
Recordkeeping and
Communication
• Modernize language
• Updating title to:
“Public Participation”
• Align with current
organizational structure and
operations
8Amend Council Policy 000-20
“Citizen Participation”
Council affirmed this recommendation during the March 10, 2026, study session.
• 1-10.040 - Broadcast
• 1-10.060 – Public Access and
Comment
• 1-10.070 – Minutes
9 Amend SRCC 1-10
Council affirmed the related recommendations for the above sections of SRCC during the March 10, 2026, study session.
10Amend SRCC 1-10.030 –
Interpretation
• explore using bilingual staff during
disruption
Council gave direction
• evaluated this option
Human Resources
• Interpretation is a regulated profession
• Job scope & compensation impacts
• Create equity and consistency concerns
• Risk management and service quality
Determined not appropriate:
11 Disruption History
1 disruption in 5 years
Resolved in 2hrs
IT refined and Improved
To allow meetings to proceed if language Interpretation services are disabled due to internet service disruption:
1. After making findings of good cause that reconvening the meeting and hearing any remaining time-sensitive agenda items, outweighs the public interest in providing interpretation services.
This exception should be used
sparingly and not applied to proceed with non time-sensitive agenda items where required interpreter services are not available.
2. Additional post-meeting outreach efforts must be made by the Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Office in English, Spanish, and any additional language required related to any actions taken by Council during Spanish language interpretation service disruption. 12Amend SRCC 1-10.030 –
Interpretation
Recommendation
• The City Clerk’s and City Attorney’s Offices recommend that the Council, by three separate resolutions and one ordinance:
1. Amend the City Council Manual of Procedures and Protocols (CCMPP)
2. Adopt Council Policy entitled “Internet and Telephonic Service Disruption Policy for City Council Meetings”
3. Amend Council Policy 000-20 entitled Citizen Participation; and
4. Introduce an ordinance entitled Ordinance of the Council of the City of Santa Rosa to amend Chapter 1-10 – Open Government, Sections 1-10.030, 1-10.040, 1-10.060, 1-10.070
13 14
QUESTIONS?