Major Brown Act Updates Under SB 707 New Law Represents the Most Significant Update to the Brown Act in Decades On October 3, 2025, Senate Bill 707 (SB 707) was signed by Governor Newsom and will bring significant changes to many public agencies’ meetings starting in 2026. SB 707 is intended to diversify and increase public engagement in local government, and also modernize the Ralph M. Brown Act in the face of technological advancements. SB 707 amends numerous provisions of the Brown Act and places new restrictions, expectations and duties upon legislative bodies. The changes are best understood in terms of what only applies to “ eligible legislative bodies ” versus what generally applies to all legislative bodies. Rules Specific to Eligible Legislative Bodies The most significant changes in SB 707 will apply to an “ eligible legislative body ” which is defined as any of the following: (1) a city council of a city with a population of 30,000 or more, (2) a board of supervisors of a county, or a city and county, with a population of 30,000 or more, (3) a city council of a city located in a county with a population of 600,000 or more, and (4) a board of directors of large special districts meeting certain thresholds based on boundary areas, population, number of employees and/or revenues. • Two-Way Remote Attendance and Disruption Procedures Unlike earlier versions of the Brown Act, the new law now requires eligible legislative bodies to offer hybrid meetings. This means the public must be able to participate through a two-way phone or video platform, unless the technology is not available at the meeting location or the meeting qualifies for an exemption, such as an off-site tour. On or before July 1, 2026, an eligible legislative body must also approve in an open session a policy regarding disruption of the above-mentioned services or platform and efforts to restore service. If a disruption prevents the public from attending a meeting, the body must take a recess and try to restore service for at least one hour. Afterward, it must adopt a finding by roll call vote confirming that good-faith efforts were made to fix the issue and that resuming the meeting serves the public interest more than delaying it further. Furthermore, this bill allows a legislative body or its presiding officer to also remove or limit participation from individuals engaging in disruptive behavior, regardless of whether the individual is attending in-person or via two-way audiovisual or telephonic services.
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