In compliance with California’s newly enacted Senate Bill 707 (the Brown Act Modernization Act), the City of Glendale is rolling out a series of enhancements to expand public access, translation assistance and community participation that began with Tuesday night’s Glendale City Council meeting. 

The new law requires eligible legislative bodies to provide enhanced opportunities for remote participation and improved access to public meetings. Prior to SB 707, the City of Glendale already provided accessibility measures, including the ability to provide public comment by telephone and in person translation assistance services in Armenian and Spanish at city council meetings.

To meet these new requirements and further improve public access, the City has upgraded to Zoom Webinar technology, providing enhanced two-way communication and additional participation options for the public. 

The public will benefit from the following updates:

Two-Way Remote Participation: Community members can attend and provide real-time public comments verbally via Zoom or via telephone during all City council, special City council, Housing Authority, or Joint Housing Authority and City council meetings.

Public Remote Participation/Remote Disruption Policy: The City council has adopted a Public Remote Participation and Remote Disruption Policy in accordance with Senate Bill 707. The policy establishes procedures to address interruptions to telephone or internet service that may prevent members of the public from participating remotely and outlines the City’s response should such disruptions occur.

Enhanced Language Access: To promote greater inclusion and accessibility, meeting agendas will be translated into Armenian in accordance with SB 707. The City’s agenda portal will also feature participation instructions in both English and Armenian, including information on how to join meetings remotely via Zoom or telephone. Additionally, built-in webpage translation tools will allow residents to view meeting information in multiple languages. Armenian and Spanish interpretation services will continue to be available at City council meetings, along with other accommodations upon request.

Public Meeting Portal: The City has launched a streamlined public meeting portal at GlendaleCA.gov/Agendas to provide residents with easy access to meeting information and participation resources. The portal includes:

• Meeting dates, times, and locations
• Posted agendas and staff reports
• Zoom and telephone participation information
• Instructions for submitting oral or written public comment
• Language access and accommodation information
• Archived meeting videos and additional participation resources

For information on attending meetings, submitting public comment, requesting ADA accommodations, or obtaining language assistance services, visit GlendaleCA.gov/Agendas or contact the City Clerk’s Office at (818) 548-2090.