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CLERK OF THE BOARD - Clerk & Recorder Sean Houghtby
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Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a) Request approval of the Disruption of Remote Access to Meetings (Senate Bill 707) policy
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Financial Impact:
None
Background Information:
In 2025, the California Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, Senate Bill 707 related to open meetings held pursuant to the Ralph M. Brown Act. (Government Code sections 54950, et seq.). Effective July 1, 2026, a meeting held by an “eligible legislative body,” as defined, must include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform, with certain exceptions. The law provides that the open session of any such meeting must recess should any disruption of telephonic or internet service occur, that the meeting may continue in closed session during this recess, that the eligible legislative body must make a good faith effort to restore telephonic or internet service in accordance with an adopted policy for a minimum of one hour, and that the legislative body may thereafter reconvene into open session even if telephonic or internet service is not restored upon making certain findings.
The Tehama County Board of Supervisors is an “eligible legislative body” as defined in Senate Bill 707. The intent of this policy is to describe the procedures that the Board of Supervisors shall follow in the event of a telephonic or internet service disruption that prevents remote access to a Ralph M. Brown Act meeting, consistent with the requirements of Government Code section 54953.4.