TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: David Morrison, Interim County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Leah Doyle-Stevens, Aide to Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: AB 817- Open Meetings: Teleconferencing: Non-Decision-Making Bodies
RECOMMENDATION
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Interim County Executive Officer requests discussion and possible action to recommend that the Napa County Board of Supervisors support AB 817 by Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AB 817 would increase civic engagement by allowing members of non-decision-making legislative bodies that do not have the ability to take final action to participate in two-way virtual teleconferencing without posting their personal addresses while teleconferencing. Counties and other local governments have faced an ongoing challenge to recruit and retain members of the public on advisory bodies, boards, and commissions. Challenges associated with recruitment have been attributed to participation time commitments, time and location of meetings, physical limitation, conflicts with childcare, and work obligations, to name just a few.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
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BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Currently, there is no law that governs Brown Act Bodies specific to legislative subcommittees, boards, and
commissions.
Assembly Bill 2449 (Stats. 2022, Chapter 285) permits a full Brown Act legislative body to permit remote participation for a minority of local government officials for just cause or emergency circumstances.
Assembly Bill 361 (Stats. 2021, Chapter 165) until January 1, 2024, permits the full legislative body to participate remotely without posting physical location when the Governor has issued a specified state of emergency. This bill was narrowly crafted to tie to Executive Order N-29-20 which will be lifted on
February 28, 2023.
AB 931 (Stats. 2019, Chapter 819) sought to ensure equal gender representation on local boards and commissions. While provisions were invalidated...
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