Open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements.

Senator Durazo, with principal coauthor Senator Arreguín and other sponsors, advances a broad modernization of local open-meeting law to expand public participation and language access through mandatory two-way remote participation and enhanced accessibility. The centerpiece is a phased requirement, beginning July 1, 2026 and running through January 1, 2030, that eligible legislative bodies must ensure open meetings provide the public with a two-way telephonic or two-way audiovisual option to attend, subject to specified exceptions and disruptions policies.

Key mechanisms establish how remote access must operate and be documented. When using teleconferencing, all votes must be by roll call, agendas and notices must identify teleconference locations and ensure public access at those locations, and the open session must be recessed for at least an hour if a disruption interrupts remote access, with a good-faith effort to restore service before reconvening. If restoration does not occur, a rollcall finding may be used to justify continuing the meeting in the public interest. The bill also requires minutes to disclose the specific legal basis for remote participation by any member and aligns remote attendance with in-person attendance for quorum purposes, subject to defined exceptions.

Beyond general teleconferencing, the measure broadens who may use alternative or remote-access provisions and codifies them in a unified framework. Health authorities may conduct teleconference meetings under the same requirements, and the framework extends to neighborhood councils, community college student organizations, and multijurisdictional bodies, with conditions on location, notice, visibility, and public participation. In addition, the act contemplates subsidiary and multijurisdictional bodies operating under the same teleconferencing provisions, with tailored rules such as requiring at least one physical location for in-person participation and explicit disclosure of remote participation in agendas and minutes. The provisions are presented as cumulative, allowing agencies to elect among applicable teleconferencing options.

The bill places a strong emphasis on translating public-meeting materials and expanding language access. Beginning July 1, 2026, the agenda for each meeting of an eligible legislative body must be translated into all applicable languages, as defined by thresholds drawn from demographic data (the most recent large-scale survey) and the local population’s English proficiency. Applicable languages may include up to three languages if more than three meet the criteria. Translations must be posted online with direct access, include joining instructions, and be mirrored on an accessible webpage dedicated to public meetings. A physical location near the posted translations must be available for in-person access, and the public may submit additional translations locally. The translation framework allows digital translation services and explicitly states that the translating entity is not responsible for content accuracy, with protections against liability for translation quality. The bill also requires an accessible process to request interpretation or translation assistance, with options such as interpreters on site or access to interpretation services, and it requires a public link to translated meeting information on the agency’s home page.

Context and scope notes indicate broad statewide applicability and phased sunset mechanics. The measure seeks to address public access as a statewide concern, asserts rationales around public participation and recruitment of public officials, and acknowledges unique barriers for online-only institutions. It broadens emergency and special-meeting rules, clarifies definitions of teleconferencing and remote participation, and specifies that certain types of meetings continue to be governed by open-meeting standards while accommodating new remote-access modalities. The legislation also includes a cost-assessment provision indicating that local agencies would not receive mandated-state reimbursements for these changes.