Monte Sereno adopts meeting-guidelines to comply with SB 707, limits remote attendance under alternative rules

Monte Sereno’s City Council adopted revised meeting guidelines June 16 to implement provisions of California’s SB 707, a law that updates Brown Act teleconferencing rules and other open-meeting requirements.

The city attorney summarized the statutory changes: SB 707 requires public meetings to be hybrid (in-person plus remote access), sets procedures for handling disruptions to remote participation, and requires certain disclosures when a member appears remotely. As the city attorney put it, "SB 707 was intended to diversify and increase public participation in local government and to modernize the Brown Act, and amends numerous provisions and places new restrictions, expectations, and duties upon legislative bodies." The presentation explained an "alternative" teleconferencing approach that allows remote attendance but limits that option to five meetings per member per calendar year under that alternative framework. The traditional teleconferencing rules remain available but require public posting of the remote location and additional disclosures.

Other provisions reviewed by staff include requirements to file the identity and remote location of teleconferencing members in the minutes; the need to keep cameras on and not have others over 18 in the remote room; procedures for removing disruptive virtual attendees; and translation obligations that are triggered only if more than 20% of the jurisdiction’s residents speak a language other than English (staff said that threshold does not apply in Monte Sereno at this time). The council moved to adopt the guidelines as presented; the motion passed on a roll-call vote recorded as unanimous.

Council and staff said they will return with any necessary implementing procedures, training and public notices to ensure the city meets the law’s July 1 deadlines for provisions already in effect.