1.14
City of Anaheim COUNCIL POLICY
Subject: Telephonic or Internet Service Disruption Policy # 1.14
During Public Meeting Adopted Date: 05/12/26
Page (1) of (3)
A. BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 707 (2025) amended the Brown Act to require eligible legislative bodies to adopt, on or
before July 1, 2026, a policy addressing how the agency will respond to disruptions in telephonic or
internet service that prevent members of the public from attending or observing a meeting remotely.
This policy is adopted to comply with that requirement and to ensure continuity of public
participation during technical disruptions.
B. PURPOSE
This policy sets forth procedures for responding to a disruption in the CityÓs telephonic or internet
services that provide two-way remote public access to Anaheim City Council meetings, as required
by the Brown Act (Gov. Code § 54953.4). The policy affirms the CityÓs commitment to maintain
transparency, accessibility, and continuity of government during technology disruptions.
C. DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this policy:
Disruption - any failure, outage, or other interruption of the City that prevents members of
the public from attending or observing the meeting via these remote access services.
Remote access services - the two-way telephonic service and/or two-way audiovisual
platform used to provide real-time remote public attendance and observation of meetings.
D. APPLICABILITY
This policy applies to all open and public meetings of the Anaheim City Council at which remote
public participation is offered or required under the Brown Act.
E. PROCEDURES IN THE EVENT OF SERVICE DISRUPTION
1. Response to Service Disruption
If the Mayor, or presiding officer or City Clerk becomes aware of a disruption that prevents
members of the public from attending or observing the meeting remotely, the following
steps shall occur:
i.The Mayor, or presiding officer, shall immediately announce the service
disruption to the public.
City of Anaheim COUNCIL POLICY
Subject: Telephonic or Internet Service Disruption Policy # 1.14
During Public Meeting Adopted Date: 05/12/26
Page (2) of (3)
ii. The Mayor, or presiding officer, shall call for a recess of the open session or
convene the City Council in closed session, consistent with the Brown Act.
iii. The meeting shall remain in recess for at least one hour or until service is
restored, whichever occurs first.
iv. During the recess, staff shall make a good faith effort to diagnose and restore the
disrupted service.
2. Reconvening the Open Session
The open session may be reconvened after at least one hour has elapsed from the time of
disruption or as soon as service is restored, whichever occurs earlier.
If after the expiration of the hour, service has not been restored, the Mayor, or presiding
officer, shall report on the status of staffÓs efforts to restore remote access services, and the
City Council may reconvene and:
i. Adjourn the meeting;
ii. Extend the recess to allow staff more time to make a good faith effort to restore
remote access services; or
iii. Continue the meeting in open session by adopting, by roll call vote, the following
or a substantially similar, finding:
ÐThe City of Anaheim has made good faith efforts to restore telephonic or
internet service in accordance with its adopted policy, and the public interest in
continuing the meeting outweighs the public interest in remote public access.Ñ
Upon adoption of the finding, the City Council may continue the meeting in open session
despite the fact that remote access services have not been restored.
F.RECORDKEEPING
The City Clerk shall enter a brief statement into the meeting minutes, including the following:
The nature and time of the service disruption
The restoration efforts undertaken
The time the meeting was reconvened (if applicable)
Any finding adopted pursuant to Section E.2 ÐReconvening the Open SessionÑ.
This documentation should be retained in accordance with the CityÓs record retention policies.
City of Anaheim COUNCIL POLICY
Subject: Telephonic or Internet Service Disruption Policy # 1.14
During Public Meeting Adopted Date: 05/12/26
Page (3) of (3)
G. REVIEW AND UPDATES:
This policy may be amended by the City Council at a noticed public meeting during open session,
not on the consent calendar.
Reference: Resolution No. 2026-050