Logo courtesy of Yuba City

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) – A new California law requiring larger local governments to provide live remote public access to meetings faced an early test in Yuba City when an online participant disrupted a City Council meeting by posting racial slurs.

During the council's July 7 meeting, City Attorney Shannon Chaffin interrupted council discussion after the comments appeared from a remote participant.

"That person is now considered a disruptive speaker and will be shut down from the chat and prohibited from here," Chaffin said.

It was the only disruption during the meeting, and the incident came less than a week after Senate Bill 707 took effect July 1. The law requires cities and counties with populations of 30,000 or more to provide live online access to public meetings and allow residents to make public comments remotely.

Locally, the law applies to Yuba City, Yuba County, Sutter County, Butte County and the City of Chico. Smaller cities and rural districts are not covered.

Marysville is not included because its population is about 12,000. Oroville also falls below the threshold with about 20,000 residents. No agency in Colusa County is affected.

Under SB 707, eligible agencies must provide a live video or telephone connection for every public meeting. Residents attending remotely must have the same opportunity to offer public comment as those attending in person.

According to the legislative analysis, the law is intended to preserve the expanded public access introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure residents who cannot attend meetings in person can still participate in local government.

Some agencies discontinued remote public participation after pandemic-era meetings because of disruptive online behavior, including trolling and abusive comments. The interruption in Yuba City illustrated one of the challenges agencies may face as they again provide live remote access. Mayor Marc Boomgaarden said at the start of the meeting the city was adjusting to the state's new remote participation requirements and asked for patience as officials became accustomed to the revised meeting format.

SB 707 also requires eligible agencies to translate meeting agendas into languages spoken by at least 20 percent of the local population that speaks English less than "very well." The translated agendas must be posted online and at a physical location at least 72 hours before a regular meeting.

Unlike the remote public access and translated agenda requirements, which apply only to larger populations, other provisions of SB 707 apply to all legislative bodies. These changes update teleconferencing rules, establish new standards for remote attendance by elected officials and require clearer documentation when members participate from another location.