REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Direction Regarding Returning to In-Person Public City Council Meetings Along With Board and Commission Meetings and Consideration of Various Hybrid In-Person/Teleconference Public Meeting Options
Report
BACKGROUND
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, all public meetings were held in-person and the City broadcast Council meetings and Planning Commission meetings on television over AT&T Channel 99 and Comcast Channel 15, and web-steamed these meetings to the Legislative Public Meetings webpage. The City audio recorded public meetings of other boards and commissions, posting the audio recording to the Legislative Public Meetings web page within approximately 24 to 48 hours of each meeting's adjournment.
As outlined in Sunnyvale Charter Section 613 (Place of Meetings) all City Council meetings shall be convened in the Council Chambers of City Hall. The Charter further provides that Council meetings take place in the Council Chambers unless rendered unsafe by nature of an emergency (Attachment 1 to the report). Council Policy 7.2.19 (Boards and Commissions) Section 2.A provides that regular board and commission meetings were held in the Council Chambers, West Conference Room or similar room allowing for public participation.
On March 17, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order No. N-29-20, which suspended portions of the Ralph M. Brown Act (California Government Code sections 54950-54963) that limit the use of teleconferencing for public meetings; the Order was scheduled to sunset when the COVID-19 Pandemic ends. The Ralph M. Brown Act places strict requirements on local legislative bodies regarding the posting, access and physical location of voting members during public meetings.
Beginning with the March 31, 2020 Council meeting, the City has conducted public meetings utilizing teleconferencing technology to provide for members of the public, staff, and public officials (Councilmembers and board or commissio...
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