DATE: February 17, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Clerk and City Attorney
SUBJECT
Title
Informational Report: Updates to the Ralph M. Brown Act Resulting from the Passage of Senate Bill 707 (SB 707)
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That the City Council receives this informational report
End
SUMMARY
This report provides an overview of changes to the Ralph M. Brown Act resulting from the passage of Senate Bill 707 (SB 707) and offers anticipated implementation considerations. The legislation was intended to restructure and expand the framework governing public access and remote participation. The Brown Act applies to elected and appointed bodies. The goal of the legislation is to consolidate temporary statutes adopted during and after the pandemic, establish a unified framework for remote participation, set new rules for subsidiary bodies, and codify accessibility and procedural safeguards. SB 707 also establishes new language-access standards on “eligible bodies”, requiring two-way remote public participation, real-time captioning, and translation of meeting agendas into applicable languages.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report