Whereas, Local academic senates are considered legislative bodies as defined by the Ralph M. Brown Open Meeting Act, necessitating compliance with all open meeting requirements;
Whereas, Modifications to the Brown Act during the COVID-19 pandemic through Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-29-20 in March 2020 , Executive Order N-35-20 in March 2020, and AB 361 (Rivas, 2021) allowed for attendance via teleconferencing without compliance with some of the long-standing requirements for teleconferencing “when a declared state of emergency is in effect, or in other situations related to public health” [1] and have resulted at many colleges in improved access to academic senate meetings and increased attendance and engagement by faculty as senators and as members of the public;
Whereas, The declared state of emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic ended on February 28, 2023, necessitating a return to long-standing Brown Act requirements for teleconferencing, reducing the robust participation and engagement by faculty given that subsequent legislative solutions, including AB 361 (Rivas, 2021) and AB 2449 (Blanca Rubio, 2022), apply in very specific situations and for limited durations of time; and
Whereas, Academic senates, curriculum committees, and their subcommittees are recommending bodies seeking means of conducting meetings transparently consistent with the intention of the Brown Act while allowing engagement of members and public attendees via teleconferencing in ways similar to what was allowable during the COVID-19 pandemic;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support AB 817 (Pacheco, 2023 as of April 14, 2023) Open meetings: teleconferencing: subsidiary body; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support SB 411 (Portantino, 2023 as of April 14, 2023) Open meetings: teleconferences: bodies with appointed membership.
ACCLAMATION
1. AB 2449 (Blanca Rubio, 2022), An act to amend, repeal, and add Sections 54953 and 54954.2 of the Government Code, relating to local government: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB2449