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Board adopts SB 707 disruption policy and moves to consolidate web translation using Recite Me
Summary
Stanislaus County supervisors adopted a technology-disruption policy required by Senate Bill 707 (4-1) and approved a staff recommendation to move web translation to the Recite Me accessibility tool (5-0). Supervisors debated the scope of Spanish-language agenda postings and staff pledged follow-up implementation and outreach.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on June 16 voted 4-1 to adopt a technology-disruption policy required by Senate Bill 707, a new state law intended to expand remote public access and require agenda translations where a language threshold is met. Separately, the board approved staffs recommendation to consolidate translation services under the Recite Me accessibility toolbar and add a prominent translation widget on county web pages (vote 5-0).
Staff explained SB 707 requires eligible legislative bodies to provide two-way remote public access and to post agendas in any language spoken by at least 20% of residents who speak English less than very well; Stanislaus County staff said Spanish meets that threshold. The disruption policy sets a procedure for responding to remote-connection failures: staff must make good-faith efforts to restore service, recess the meeting while attempting recovery, and, in limited circumstances after a roll-call finding, continue without remote access if the public interest so requires.
Supervisor questions centered on language accessibility and technical feasibility. Jennifer Hidalgo and the countys web-accessibility team described an evaluation of Google Translate and Recite Me. They reported side-by-side testing and community feedback that Recite Mes integrated accessibility features (including read-aloud and on-screen translation without downloading documents) make it a stronger long-term solution. "Recite Me will allow users to translate documents directly on the website without needing to download files," staff said, adding that the toolbar can read translated text aloud to assist users with limited literacy or low vision.
Supervisors also voiced practical concerns about remote participation length and meeting dynamics: one supervisor warned that broader remote-engagement requirements risked lengthening meetings and diluting in-person interaction. County staff said SB 707 provided limited options but that the county would pursue the Recite Me rollout and continue outreach to ensure the Spanish-language agenda is accessible online and at a public posting board.
Votes and next steps: the SB 707 disruption policy passed 4-1. The Recite Me adoption and translation-widget plan passed 5-0; staff committed to public outreach, a usability primer and a six-month reassessment of the tool and procedures.
