§ 54953.4. — 54953.4. (Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 327, Sec. 5.)

(a)
The Legislature finds and declares that public access, including through translation of agendas as required by this section, is necessary for an informed populace. The Legislature encourages local agencies to adopt public access requirements that exceed the requirements of this chapter by translating additional languages, employing human translators, and conducting additional outreach.
(b)
(1)
In addition to any other applicable requirements of this chapter, a meeting held by a eligible legislative body pursuant to this chapter shall comply with both of the following requirements:
(A)
(i)
(I)
(ia)
All open and public meetings shall include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform, except if adequate telephonic or internet service is not operational at the meeting location. If adequate telephonic or internet service is operational at the meeting location during only a portion of the meeting, the legislative body shall include an opportunity for members of the public to attend via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform during that portion of the meeting.
(ib)
(Ia)
On or before July 1, 2026, an eligible legislative body shall approve at a noticed public meeting in open session, not on the consent calendar, a policy regarding disruption of telephonic or internet service occurring during meetings subject to this sub-subclause. The policy shall address the procedures for recessing and reconvening a meeting
in the event of disruption and the efforts that the eligible legislative body shall make to attempt to restore the service.
(Ib)
If a disruption of telephonic or internet service that prevents members of the public from attending or observing the meeting via the two-way telephonic service or two-way audiovisual platform occurs during the meeting, the eligible legislative body shall recess the open session of the meeting for at least one hour and make a good faith attempt to restore the service. The eligible legislative body may meet in closed session during this period. The eligible legislative body shall not reconvene the open session of the meeting until at least one hour following the disruption, or until telephonic or internet service is restored, whichever is earlier.
(Ic)
Upon reconvening the open session, if telephonic or internet service has not been restored, the eligible
legislative body shall adopt a finding by rollcall vote that good faith efforts to restore the telephonic or internet service have been made in accordance with the policy adopted pursuant to sub-sub-subclause (Ia) and that the public interest in continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.
(II)
Subclause (I) does not apply to a meeting that is held to do any of the following:
(ia)
Attend a judicial or administrative proceeding to which the local agency is a party.
(ib)
Inspect real or personal property provided that the topic of the meeting is limited to items directly related to the real or personal property.
(ic)
Meet with elected or appointed officials of the United States or the State of California, solely to discuss
a legislative or regulatory issue affecting the local agency and over which the federal or state officials have jurisdiction.
(id)
Meet in or nearby a facility owned by the agency, provided that the topic of the meeting is limited to items directly related to the facility.
(ie)
Meet in an emergency situation pursuant to Section 54956.5.
(ii)
If an eligible legislative body elects to provide a two-way audiovisual platform, the eligible legislative body shall publicly post and provide a call-in option, and activate any automatic captioning function during the meeting if an automatic captioning function is included with the two-way audiovisual platform. If an eligible legislative body does not elect to provide a two-way audiovisual platform, the eligible legislative body shall provide a two-way telephonic service for
the public to participate in the meeting, pursuant to subclause (I).
(B)
(i)
All open and public meetings for which attendance via a two-way telephonic service or a two-way audiovisual platform is provided in accordance with paragraph (1) shall provide the public with an opportunity to provide public comment in accordance with Section 54954.3 via the two-way telephonic or two-way audiovisual platform, and ensure the opportunity for the members of the public participating via a two-way telephonic or two-way audiovisual platform to provide public comment with the same time allotment as a person attending a meeting in person.
(2)
(A)
An eligible legislative body shall reasonably assist members of the public who wish to translate a public meeting into any language or wish to receive interpretation provided by another member of the public, so
long as the interpretation is not disrupting to the meeting, as defined in Section 54957.95. The eligible legislative body shall publicize instructions on how to request assistance under this subdivision. Assistance may include any of the following, as determined by the eligible legislative body:
(i)
Arranging space for one or more interpreters at the meeting location.
(ii)
Allowing extra time during the meeting for interpretation to occur.
(iii)
Ensuring participants may utilize their personal equipment or reasonably access facilities for participants to access commercially available interpretation services.
(B)
This section does not require an eligible legislative body to provide interpretation of any public meeting, however, an eligible legislative
body may elect to provide interpretation of any public meeting.
(C)
The eligible legislative body is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any interpretation facilitated, assisted with, or provided under this subdivision. An action shall not be commenced or maintained against the eligible legislative body arising from the content or accuracy of any interpretation facilitated, assisted with, or provided under this subdivision.
(3)
An eligible legislative body shall take the following actions to encourage residents, including those in underrepresented communities and non-English-speaking communities, to participate in public meetings:
(A)
Have in place a system for electronically accepting and fulfilling requests for meeting agendas and documents pursuant to Section 54954.1 through email or through an
integrated agenda management platform. Information about how to make a request using this system shall be accessible through a prominent direct link posted on the primary internet website home page of the eligible legislative body.
(B)
(i)
Create and maintain an accessible internet webpage dedicated to public meetings that includes, or provides a link to, all of the following information:
(I)
A general explanation of the public meeting process for the eligible legislative body.
(II)
An explanation of the procedures for a member of the public to provide in-person or remote oral public comment during a public meeting or to submit written public comment.
(III)
A calendar of all public meeting dates with calendar listings that include
the date, time, and location of each public meeting.
(IV)
The agenda posted online pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 54954.2.
(ii)
The eligible legislative body shall include a link to the webpage required by subparagraph (A) on the home page of the eligible legislative body’s internet website.
(C)
(i)
Make reasonable efforts, as determined by the legislative body, to invite groups that do not traditionally participate in public meetings to attend those meetings, which may include, but are not limited to, all the following:
(I)
Media organizations that provide news coverage in the jurisdiction of the eligible legislative body, including media organizations that serve non-English-speaking communities.
(II)
Good government, civil rights, civic engagement, neighborhood, and community group organizations, or similar organizations that are active in the jurisdiction of the eligible legislative body, including organizations active in non-English-speaking communities.
(ii)
Legislative bodies shall have broad discretion in the choice of reasonable efforts they make under this subparagraph. No action shall be commenced or maintained against an eligible legislative body arising from failing to provide public meeting information to any specific group pursuant to this subparagraph.
(c)
(1)
(A)
The agenda for each meeting of an eligible legislative body shall be translated into all applicable languages, and each translation shall be posted in accordance with Section 54954.2. Each
translation shall include instructions in the applicable language describing how to join the meeting by the telephonic or internet-based service option, including any requirements for registration for public comment.
(B)
The accessible internet webpage provided under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) shall be translated into all applicable languages, and each translation shall be accessible through a prominent direct link posted on the primary internet website home page of the eligible legislative body.
(2)
A translation made using a digital translation service shall satisfy the requirements of paragraph (1).
(3)
The eligible legislative body shall make available a physical location that is freely accessible to the public in reasonable proximity to the physical location in which the agenda and
translations are posted as described in paragraph (1), and shall allow members of the public to post additional translations of the agenda in that location.
(4)
The eligible legislative body is not responsible for the content or accuracy of any translation provided pursuant to this subdivision. No action shall be commenced or maintained against an eligible legislative body arising from the content, accuracy, posting, or removal of any translation provided by the eligible legislative body or posted by any person pursuant to this subdivision.
(5)
For the purposes of this section, the agenda does not include the entire agenda packet.
(d)
This section shall not be construed to affect or supersede any other applicable civil rights, nondiscrimination, or public access laws.
(e)
For purposes of this section, all of the following definitions apply:
(1)
(A)
“Applicable languages” means languages, according to data from the most recent American Community Survey, spoken jointly by 20 percent or more of the applicable population, provided that 20 percent or more of the population that speaks that language in that city or county speaks English less than “very well.”
(B)
For the purposes of subparagraph (A), the applicable population shall be determined as follows:
(i)
For an eligible legislative body that is a city council or county board of supervisors, the applicable population shall be the population of the city or county.
(ii)
For an eligible
legislative body of a special district, the applicable population shall be either of the following, at the discretion of the board of directors of the special district:
(I)
The population of the county with the greatest population within the boundaries of the special district.
(II)
The population of the service area of the special district, if the special district has the data to determine what languages spoken by the population within its service area meet the requirements of paragraph (A).
(C)
If more than three languages meet the criteria set forth in subparagraph (A), “applicable languages” shall mean the three languages described in subparagraph (A) that are spoken by the largest percentage of the population.
(D)
An
eligible legislative body may elect to determine the applicable languages based upon a source other than the most recent American Community Survey if it makes a finding, based upon substantial evidence, that the other source provides equally or more reliable data for the territory over which the eligible legislative body exercises jurisdiction.
(2)
“Eligible legislative body” means any of the following:
(A)
A city council of a city with a population of 30,000 or more.
(B)
A county board of supervisors of a county, or city and county, with a population of 30,000 or more.
(C)
A city council of a city located in a county with a population of 600,000 or more.
(D)
The board of directors of a
special district that has an internet website and meets any of the following conditions:
(i)
The boundaries of the special district include the entirety of a county with a population of 600,000 or more, and the special district has over 200 full-time equivalent employees.
(ii)
The special district has over 1,000 full-time equivalent employees.
(iii)
The special district has annual revenues, based on the most recent Financial Transaction Report data published by the California State Controller, that exceed four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000), adjusted annually for inflation commencing January 1, 2027, as measured by the percentage change in the California Consumer Price Index from January 1 of the prior year to January 1 of the current year, and the special district employs over 200 full-time equivalent
employees.
(3)
“Two-way audiovisual platform” means an online platform that provides participants with the ability to participate in a meeting via both an interactive video conference and a two-way telephonic service.
(4)
“Two-way telephonic service” means a telephone service that does not require internet access and allows participants to dial a telephone number to listen and verbally participate.
(f)
This section shall become operative on July 1, 2026.
(g)
This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.

Legislative History

Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 327, Sec. 5. (SB 707) Effective January 1, 2026. Operative July 1, 2026, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2030, by its own provisions.