SUBJECT
Title
CONSIDERATION OF REQUESTS FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO CONDUCT TELECONFERENCE MEETINGS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
On October 3, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 707 (Durazo), which created new requirements for local legislative bodies conducting meetings under the Brown Act. This item asks the Board of Supervisors (Board) to consider requests from County of San Diego boards and commissions seeking authorization to conduct teleconference (hybrid) meetings in compliance with SB 707’s updated meeting and accessibility standards.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Consider the requests from the Committee for Persons with Disabilities, Flood Control District Advisory Commission, Health Services Advisory Board, Jess Martin Park Advisory Committee, County Service Area 81 - Fallbrook Local Parks Advisory Committee, County Service Area 128 - San Miguel Local Park District Citizen Advisory Board, and the County Service Area 138 - Valley Center Park and Recreation Advisory Committee to conduct meetings via teleconference for the next six months and, if the Board agrees, approve those requests by making the following findings:
1. The Board of Supervisors has considered the circumstances of these Board, Commissions, and Committees and finds teleconference meetings appropriate.
2. Teleconference meetings will enhance public access. The public has been informed of the remote participation options, including audio‑visual or telephonic access, and was provided an opportunity to comment at an in-person meeting authorizing remote participation.
3. Teleconference meetings will support recruitment, retention, and diversity of eligible members.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The County prioritizes transparency and an accessible government to increase public understanding and participation. Teleconference options help reach community members who have previously experienced barriers to civic engagement, ensuring diverse voices are included in the County’s decision-making process.
SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The analysis provides options for the Board to enhance stakeholder participation to plan for community engagement and identify meaningful ways to continually seek input to foster inclusive and sustainable communities.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with these recommendations. There will be no change in net General Fund cost and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill (SB) 707 (Durazo), signed by the Governor on October 3, 2025, created new requirements for how certain local advisory bodies may conduct meetings under the Brown Act. Under this legislation, the Board of Supervisors (Board) may authorize eligible boards, commissions, and committees (BCCs) to conduct meetings by teleconference while maintaining transparency and public access.
To qualify, a BCC must be an advisory body formally established by the Board and must not have final decision-making authority. These bodies may only provide recommendations and cannot approve laws, regulations, contracts, permits, grants, or funding. In addition, SB 707 excludes BCCs that address highly sensitive subject areas such as elections, budgets, police oversight, privacy, library content restrictions, taxes, or spending proposals.
For those BCCs that meet the eligibility criteria, SB 707 allows members to participate remotely without disclosing their physical location. In order to do so, at least one County of San Diego (County) meeting location must remain open for in-person public attendance, staffed by County personnel. Members may attend either in person or remotely; however, those participating virtually must remain visibly on camera throughout the meeting unless a temporary medical or physical need requires otherwise, or if a technological issue makes continued video participation infeasible. In such cases, the member must state the reason before turning off their camera. Members joining remotely must also disclose the presence of any adults in the room with them and their relationship to the member.
Transparency and public access are core components of the law. If technological disruptions occur, the meeting must pause until they are resolved. Public comment must be taken during the meeting itself, and the County may not require comments to be submitted only in advance. Meeting minutes must identify members who participated remotely. Additionally, elected officials serving on a BCC in their official capacity are required to attend in person and may not participate remotely.
To ensure meaningful public participation, any BCC authorized for hybrid meetings must provide a way for the public to both observe and participate remotely. This may be accomplished through a two-way video platform, or through a combination of a live video stream and a phone line that allows the public to offer comment in real time.
The Clerk of the Board of Supervisors has received requests from the Committee for Persons with Disabilities, Flood Control District Advisory Commission, Health Services Advisory Board, Jess Martin Park Advisory Committee, County Service Area 81 - Fallbrook Local Parks Advisory Committee, County Service Area 128 - San Miguel Local Park District Citizen Advisory Board, and the County Service Area 138 - Valley Center Park and Recreation Advisory Committee to conduct meetings via teleconference for the next six months. These bodies have stated they meet all eligibility requirements outlined in SB 707 and have asked the Board to make the findings required under Government Code Section 54953.8.6 (Attachment 1). For each BCC that has requested approval to teleconference, the Board must consider and make the following findings:
(i) The legislative body has considered the circumstances of the eligible subsidiary body.
(ii) Teleconference meetings of the eligible subsidiary body would enhance public access to meetings of the eligible subsidiary body, and the public has been made aware of the type of remote participation, including audio-visual or telephonic, that will be made available at a regularly scheduled meeting and has been provided the opportunity to comment at an in-person meeting of the legislative body authorizing the subsidiary body to meet entirely remotely.
(iii) Teleconference meetings of the eligible subsidiary body would promote the attraction, retention, and diversity of eligible subsidiary body members.
The Board may approve none, some, or all of the requests. If authorized, staff will return to the Board every six months to seek renewal of the findings.
SB 707 also requires additional transparency measures once a BCC has been granted teleconference authority. Any formal recommendation that such a BCC submits to the Board must be placed on the agenda for discussion at a regular Board of Supervisors meeting within 60 days and may not be listed on the consent agenda. After the initial discussion, any Board action must wait until a subsequent regular meeting, ensuring the public has adequate notice and opportunity to engage.
While SB 707 establishes the framework under which BCCs may conduct teleconference meetings, the decision to authorize such meetings remains fully discretionary for the Board of Supervisors. The Board may determine whether the circumstances of each requesting BCC warrant approval and whether remote participation supports the County’s goals for transparency, accessibility, and effective public engagement.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
The proposed action supports the Strategic Initiative of Community Engagement in the County of San Diego’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan by providing information, programs, public forums or other avenues that increase access for individuals or communities to use their voice, their vote, and their experience to impact change.
Respectfully submitted,
ebony n. shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment 1: Requests to Conduct Teleconference Meetings