Open meetings: local agencies: teleconferences.

Assembly Member Blanca Rubio's legislation extends California's alternative teleconferencing procedures for local agency meetings through January 1, 2030, maintaining provisions that currently expire in 2026. The bill preserves existing requirements for remote participation, including the mandate that a quorum of members participate in person from a single physical location within agency boundaries that remains open to the public.

The measure retains current limits on remote meeting participation, which vary based on meeting frequency. Members of legislative bodies that meet monthly or less frequently may participate remotely in up to two meetings annually, while those meeting twice monthly may participate remotely in up to five meetings per year. For bodies meeting three or more times monthly, remote participation is capped at seven meetings annually.

Under the bill's provisions, members seeking to participate remotely must either notify the legislative body of a qualifying "just cause" or request approval due to emergency circumstances. Just cause includes specific situations such as caregiving responsibilities, contagious illness, disability-related needs, or official travel. Emergency circumstances encompass physical or family medical emergencies that prevent in-person attendance. The legislative body must consider and approve emergency circumstance requests, which require separate approval for each meeting.

The legislation maintains existing requirements for public access and participation in remote meetings. Agencies must provide both audio-visual and telephonic options for public attendance and comment, post meeting agendas with access instructions, and pause proceedings if technical issues disrupt public access. These provisions aim to ensure continued public engagement while offering flexibility for remote participation through 2030.