Portantino Bill Ensuring Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Can Meet Online Heads to Governor’s Desk
For Immediate Release: September 6, 2023
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Portantino Bill Ensuring Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Can Meet Online Heads to Governor’s Desk
Sacramento, California – Senate Bill 411, authored by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), passed the Senate Floor today and is headed to the Governor’s desk. The bill ensures that neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles can continue serving their constituents by meeting online.
“Virtual meetings have helped Angelenos with work, travel and daycare difficulties participate in neighborhood council meetings and helped our councils have an easier time achieving quorums,” stated Senator Portantino. “Robust public participation is vital to a vibrant discourse and is well-served when more people are involved in the process. We saw an increase in that participation during the pandemic and I am proud to send SB 411 to the Governor’s desk to maintain those opportunities in accordance with modern needs and technology.”
During the pandemic, virtual public meetings via teleconference were allowed by Executive Order of the Governor to help neighborhood councils remain operational. While it was clear that online meetings attracted more public participation, it is also clear that ending them will have drastic negative consequences for public discourse. Considering that California is the tech leader in the nation and the world, it is appropriate to have laws in place that encourage governments to modernize and serve more people.
"It is time to modernize the Brown Act so that neighborhood councils can continue using this valuable tool to remain responsive to their communities' needs,” said Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian. “In Los Angeles, nearly 100 neighborhood Councils provide a vital line of communication between the City Council and the people we serve. SB 411 will ensure that our neighborhood councils have the option to continue meeting virtually and provide our constituents with the greatest possible opportunity for public participation.”
“SB 411 is a key bill that will make the Neighborhood Council system of Los Angeles more democratic and accessible to all. We are looking forward to having the Governor sign this measure and for Neighborhood Councils to be able to meet virtually again, should they choose,” said Michael Schneider, CEO of Streets For All.
SB 411 will allow neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles to use teleconferencing as an alternative for in person meetings and require that one in person meeting be held per year. The measure requires that the City Council approve the virtual meeting option before neighborhood councils can move forward and requires a two-thirds vote from each neighborhood council in order to make the meeting remote. SB 411 has a sunset date of 2026.
“While Neighborhood Council Boards in the City of Los Angeles adhere to Brown Act rules, the sudden move back to in-person meetings has grave foreboding for public transparency via attendance for not only stakeholders but also city officials and agenda item participants,” Anastasia Mann, Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council President. “Apart from major controversial issues, Zoom meetings have increased stakeholder, officials and presenter participation at least tenfold. The HHWNC Board voted unanimously to continue Zoom versus in-person meetings late last year.”
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