City Council

10. RESOLUTION REAUTHORIZING THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY’S BOARDS\nAND COMMISSIONS TO IMPLEMENT TELECONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY FOR\nCONDUCTING PUBLIC MEETINGS PURSUANT TO AB 361 – F2M20-33, R2M23-1\nDuring COVID, the City has conducted meetings offering teleconferencing accessibility to\nmembers of the public, City Council, members of City boards and commissions, City staff\nand consultants. The executive orders authorizing such meetings lapsed on September\n30, 2021, replaced with legislation in the form of AB 361. AB 361 was signed into law by\nthe Governor on September 16, 2021, which went into effect immediately as urgency\nlegislation (codified under Government Code § 54953), and waived certain provisions of\nthe Brown Act in order to allow local agencies to continue to meet remotely. Specifically,\nthe bill allows remote teleconference flexibility, but only when there is a state of emergency\nthat makes it unsafe to meet in person. The Council made the necessary findings for the\nconduct of teleconferenced accessible meetings via Resolution No. R2M21-42 adopted\non October 25, 2021. The proposed Resolution again makes the required findings under\nAB 361, and if adopted, it will allow the City to continue to offer teleconference accessibility\nfor public meetings, to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, as well as during other state-\nproclaimed emergencies, such as earthquakes or wildfires, where physical attendance\nmay present a risk. When Governor Newsom ends the State’s emergency declaration on\nFebruary 28, 2023, the City Councilmembers and Commissioners will no longer be able\nto attend meetings remotely except under limited circumstances as set forth in AB 2449\nand other provisions of Government Code section 54953, absent another emergency\ndeclaration.\nRecommended Action: City Council adopt Resolution No. R2M23-1: A Resolution\nof the City Council of the City of Alhambra reauthorizing the City Council, and the City’s\nBoards and Commissions to implement teleconference accessibility for conducting public\nmeetings pursuant to AB 361