R10961City Council Meeting: May 24, 2016
RESOLUTION NUMBER
Santa Monica, California
1 C' 1 W (CCS)
(City Council Series)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA REGARDING OFFICIALS` PARTICIPATION IN
MEETINGS GOVERNED BY THE BROWN ACT BY MEANS OF
TELECONFERENCING FROM OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Monica is committed to preserving and nurturing its
uniquely participatory local democracy; and
WHEREAS, all meetings of Santa Monica's local legislative bodies are open and
public, as required by the Ralph M. Brown Act; so that everyone may attend, participate,
and watch their government at work; and
WHEREAS, the City Council expects that all elected and appointed officials will
serve the public to the best of their ability, including by participating in the meetings of
bodies to which they are elected or appointed; and
WHEREAS, officials serving on the City Council and City Boards and Commissions
may, from time to time, be away from the city, state or country when their bodies are
meeting; and
WHEREAS, the Brown Act makes provision for their participation in meetings,
notwithstanding absence from the City, by teleconferencing; and the Act imposes
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requirements, which, among other things, require posting of notice and ensure that the
teleconferencing site will be accessible and open to the public and that members of the
public at the remote site can hear the meeting and participate in it; and
WHEREAS, this provision allows public officials to fulfill their official obligations,
even if they are not within the jurisdiction when their bodies' meet; and
WHEREAS, such use of teleconferencing allows the community to reap the benefit
of public officials' service even on those occasions when they cannot be physically
present at a meeting; and
WHEREAS, the language of the Brown Act does not limit the use of such
teleconferencing to remote sites within the region, state or country; rather, so long as
other requirements for teleconferencing are met, the Brown Act allows teleconferencing
from any geographic location; and
WHEREAS, the City Council hereby determines that the benefits to the community
of facilitating officials' fullest possible participation in the public's business outweigh any
detriment to the public which may be attendant upon teleconferencing.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Public officials of the City Of Santa Monica should discharge their
duties to the full extent of their abilities by, among other things, striving to attend and
participate in the meetings of the bodies to which they are elected or appointed.
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SECTION 2. An official who is not able to physically attend a meeting because he
or she is not present within the City of Santa Monica, should consider attending and
participating by teleconference in full compliance with all requirements of the Brown Act.
SECTION 3. The City Clerk shall certify to the adoption of this Resolution, and
thenceforth and thereafter the same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVE® AS TO FORM:
'VeL�. -
A SHA J ES MOU RIE
Cit ttorn y
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Adopted and approved this 24th day of May, 2016,
I, Denise Anderson -Warren, City Clerk of the City of Santa Monica, do hereby
certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 10961 (CCS) was duly adopted at a meeting of
the Santa Monica City Council held on the 24th day of May, 2016, by the following vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Himmelrich, Davis, McKeown,
Mayor Pro Tem Winterer, Mayor Vazquez
NOES: None
ABSENT: Councilmembers O'Day O'Connor
ATTEST:
Denise Anderson -Warren, City Clerk