Title
Recommendation to Approve Findings to Allow City Meetings to be Conducted via Teleconference. (City Clerk 10022020)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Every 30 days, the City Council must make certain findings to allow members of the City Council, Boards, and Commissions to continue to participate in City of Alameda (City) meetings via teleconference without meeting certain Brown Act requirements.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City has been allowing City Council, Board, and Commission members to participate in meetings via teleconference since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 16, 2021, the Governor signed Assembly Bill No. 361 - Open Meetings: State and Local Agencies (AB 361), taking effect immediately, authorizing local agencies to conduct meetings via teleconference without complying with certain requirements imposed by the Brown Act. The Bill does not address whether members of the public attend the meetings in person or via teleconference. On October 5, 2021, the City Council adopted an urgency ordinance suspending certain provisions of the Sunshine Ordinance and made the required findings. On November 2 and 16, 2021, the City Council made the required findings. The matter is returning on December 7, 2021 because the second meeting in December is more than 30 days after November 16, 2021.
This agenda report is being presented again so City Council, Board, and Commission members can continue to participate via teleconference, notwithstanding certain provisions of the Brown Act and the City's Sunshine Ordinance. The matter will return again on January 4, 2021.
AB 361 requires the City Council to make findings (set forth below) every 30 days to continue allowing members participate in meetings via teleconference without complying with certain requirements imposed by the Brown Act, such as the agenda listing teleconference locations that are each required to be accessible t...
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