By Justin A. Tamayo, Associate at Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP
Assembly Bill 2302 (2024) (“AB 2302”) revises rules for when members of local legislative bodies may participate in meetings remotely. Specifically, it amends the number of meetings that may be attended remotely for just cause and under emergency circumstances and clarifies the definition of the term “meeting,” for purposes of remote attendance.
- AB 2302 caps the number of remote meetings a member can attend each year based on the frequency of a legislative body’s meetings:
- Two meetings per year for bodies that meet monthly or less.
- Five meetings per year for those meeting twice a month.
- Seven meetings per year for bodies meeting three or more times per month.
- For purposes of AB 2302’s cap, multiple sessions occurring on the same calendar day (e.g., open and closed sessions) count as one meeting.
AB 2302 applies to the total number of meetings a member may attend remotely for both just cause and emergency circumstances. The Bill does not make any changes to the terms “just cause” or “emergency circumstances,” or otherwise affect traditional teleconferencing standards. Under existing law, these terms include a physical or family medical emergency that prevents a member from attending in person, a contagious illness that prevents in-person attendance, and travel while on official business.
Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP regularly advises clients on legal matters relating to the Brown Act.
All materials have been prepared for general information purposes only to permit you to learn more about our firm, our services and the experience of our attorneys. The information presented is not legal advice, is not to be acted on as such, may not be current and is subject to change without notice.