Agenda

Return

C. 96

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Thomas L. Geiger, County Counsel
Date:	April 4, 2023

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

Updated Procedures for Board of Supervisors Meetings

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 04/04/2023

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor

ABSENT:

Ken Carlson, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:	Thomas L. Geiger, County Counsel, (925) 655-2200
cc:	Thomas L. Geiger, County Counsel Monica Nino, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: April 4, 2023
Monica Nino, County Administrator

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

ADOPT Resolution No. 2023/123 to amend the rules of procedure for Board of Supervisors meetings, including rules governing hybrid meetings, public comment time limits, teleconferencing options for Board members, meeting disruptions, and meeting civility.

FISCAL IMPACT:

None.

BACKGROUND:

The attached rules of procedure for the conduct of meetings of the Board of Supervisors reflect recent changes to the Brown Act that the state Legislature passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes include amendments to the Brown Act’s teleconferencing rules and amendments to the Brown Act’s procedures for removing disruptive people from meetings. The attached rules also reflect the Board’s current practices. The rules are expected to facilitate the orderly, efficient, and fair conduct of Board meetings, and provide more clarity for members of the public and thus further the Board’s goal of transparency and open government. The amendments to the rules include:

BACKGROUND: (CONT'D)

• Hybrid meetings – members of the public may participate in Board meetings in person, via the telephone, or via internet-based options. (Rule 11)

• Public comments on agenda items are generally limited to two minutes per speaker. (Rule 11.1.6)

• Each member of the public is allowed two minutes to comment on the entire consent agenda. (Rule 11.1.7)

• Comments under the Public Comment portion of the agenda are limited to no more than two minutes per speaker. (Rule 11.1.14)

• In the interest of facilitating the business of the Board, the total amount of time that a member of the public may use in addressing the Board on all agenda items is 10 minutes. (Rule 11.1.15)

• New “just cause” and “emergency circumstances” teleconferencing options for Board members, as authorized by Assembly Bill 2449. (Rule 14.2)

• A new procedure for removing disruptive individuals from the Board chambers, as authorized by Senate Bill 1100. (Rule 15.2)

• A new rule to establish best practices for fostering civility and civil discourse at Board meetings. (Rule 16)

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

If the resolution is not approved, the Board’s meeting rules will not reflect recent amendments to the Brown Act or the Board’s current practices.