All meetings of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea legislative bodies are open and public as required by the Ralph M. Brown Act (Cal. Gov. Code 54950 – 54963).
Before COVID-19, Section 54953(b) of the Brown Act allowed for teleconferencing if the public agency complied with the following requirements:
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At least a quorum of the members of the legislative body must participate from locations within the boundaries within the jurisdiction of the local agency.
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An agenda shall be posted at all teleconference locations.
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Each teleconference location shall be identified in the notice and agenda of the meeting.
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Each teleconference location shall be accessible to the public.
AB 361 amended Government Code Section 54953 and authorizes a City to allow for modified teleconferencing rules, subject to the existence of certain requirements which are listed below in this Staff Report.
Government Code section 54953(e)(1) lists the circumstances under which a local agency may use such modified teleconferencing procedures, as follows:
(1) A local agency may use teleconferencing without complying with the requirements of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) if the legislative body complies with the requirements of paragraph (2) of this subdivision in any of the following circumstances:
(A) The legislative body holds a meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency, and state or local officials have imposed or recommended measures to promote social distancing.
(B) The legislative body holds a meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency for the purpose of determining, by majority vote, whether as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees.
(C) The legislative body holds a meeting during a proclaimed state of emergency and has determined, by majority vote, pursuant to subparagraph (B) that, as a result of the emergency, meeting in person would present imminent risks to the health or safety of attendees.
March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The State of Emergency remains in effect and COVID-19 continues to threaten the health and lives of the public and the Delta variant is highly transmissible in indoor settings. In addition, breakthrough cases are becoming more common.
On September 22, 2021, the County of Monterey Health Department issued a Recommendation Regarding Social Distancing Including Remote Meetings of Legislative Bodies (see Attachment 1) which provides:
“The Monterey County Health Department continues to recommend that physical and social distancing strategies be practiced in Monterey County, which includes remote meetings of legislative bodies of local agencies, to the extent possible.
Monterey County continues to experience transmission of COVID-19 locally. Physical and social distancing is still an effective measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially when combined with use of face coverings, frequent hand washing, staying home when ill, testing, and vaccination with U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines.
Remote meetings of legislative bodies allow for the virtual participation of agency staff, presenters, and community members in safer environments, with less risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Monterey County Health Officer will continue to monitor local metrics and the necessity of this recommendation.”
Thus, meetings of the City Council and its legislative bodies may be held pursuant to the terms of Government Code Section 54953(e)(1)(A) so long as a proclaimed state of emergency continues and state or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing.
If, for some reason, state or local officials discontinue imposing or recommending measures to promote social distancing, the proposed Resolution would also authorize teleconferencing under the rules of 54953(e) so long as a proclaimed state of emergency continues.
On October 4, 2021, the City Council adopted the initial Resolution No. 2021-057 authorized by AB 361 to allow for meetings of the City Council to be held telephonically.
Government Code Section 54953 (e) (3) provides that every 30 days after teleconferencing for the first time, and every 30 days thereafter, to continue teleconferencing the City Council must state that it has reconsidered the circumstances of the state of emergency and that either of the following circumstances exist: (1) The state of emergency continues to directly impact the ability of the members to meet safely in person or (2) State or local officials continue to impose or recommend measures to promote social distancing. Currently, both of these circumstances continue to exist and, for that reason, the recommended action is for the City Council to adopt the attached Resolution of the City Council of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea Proclaiming the Continuing Need To Meet By Teleconference Pursuant To Government Code Section 54953 (e), Attachment 2 to this Staff Report.
This Resolution will authorize the City Council, and other legislative bodies of the City, to hold teleconference meetings within the requirements of AB 361, but does not prohibit the City from holding in person meetings in the future.
If the Resolution is adopted, then the City and its legislative bodies which hold teleconference meetings must follow the procedures set forth by AB 361, which include the following:
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Notice of the meeting must still be given in compliance with the Brown Act, and the notice must include the means by which the public may access the meeting and provide public comment.
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The public must be provided access to the meeting via a call-in option or internet-based service option and allowed to “address the legislative body directly.” The agency does not have to provide an in-person option for the public to attend the meeting.
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The meeting must be conducted “in a manner that protects the statutory and constitutional rights of the parties and the public appearing before the legislative body.”
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If there is a disruption to the meeting broadcast or in the ability to take call-in or internet-based public comment, no further action can be taken on agenda items until the issue is resolved.
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The body cannot require comments to be submitted before the start of the meeting. The public must be allowed to make “real time” public comment.
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Reasonable time for public comment must be provided. If the agency provides a timed public comment period, the public comment period must be left open until the time expires.
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All votes must be taken by roll call.
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The legislative body must approve a resolution making findings every 30 days to continue to conduct teleconference meetings under AB 361. The body must find it has reconsidered the circumstances of the state of emergency and either 1) the emergency continues to impact the ability to meet safely in person, or 2) State or local officials continue to impose or recommend social distancing.
If the state of emergency ends or if the City Council decides to rescind the Resolution, then meetings of the City Council and other legislative bodies of the City must comply with the pre-COVID teleconferencing rules of 54953(b) described earlier in this Staff Report.
Without this Resolution, as noted, if a Council Member or a member of a City Board or Commission does not attend a meeting in person, then the agenda would need to be posted at the location of that person and the public would have access to that location. This Resolution (so long as Government Code Section 54953 allows) would provide flexibility to the Council, Board Members and Commissioners when meetings are held in person to attend remotely if they do not attend in person without the necessity of posting an agenda at their location and there would be no limit on the number (quorum must be physically present without this Resolution) of Council Members, Board Members and Commissioners who attend remotely. There are some public agencies in California which have adopted a Resolution authorized by AB 361 and use a “hybrid” method for attendance at meetings in which some members attend in person and other members attend remotely and the staff and public also can attend in person or remotely.