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BACKGROUND The State's opening meeting law, the Brown Act, generally requires that all meetings of the City Council, Council subcommittees, City Commissions and City Committees, be open and public. Any member of the public is allowed to attend and address the public body. Existing law only allows for teleconferencing in limited circumstances. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor declared a state of emergency in California, and a local emergency was declared in the City of Pleasanton. The Governor suspended some open meeting and teleconferencing requirements to allow for virtual meetings. The City shifted to a virtual meeting format, using Zoom, for the meetings of the City Council, council subcommittees, commissions and committees. New State law, AB 361, effective October 1, 2021, requires that the City adopt findings regarding social distancing and public health in order to be able to continue with virtual public meetings. The relevant guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Alameda County Department of Public Health discuss pre- screening persons sharing indoor spaces, social distancing between persons (even if masked) when indoors, and minimizing time in shared indoor spaces, particularly when persons are speaking in loud voices or when they are projecting their voices. AB 361 further requires that the City Council re-adopt such findings about social distancing and public health in support of virtual meetings every 30 days. DISCUSSION The City Council has changed from all virtual meetings to a modified in-person City Council meeting format where Councilmembers, staff and participants have provided proof of vaccination status in order to attend in person, or have otherwise been pre- screened for symptoms, and generally wear masks unless speaking. However, members of the public, project applicants, or other interested persons may still participate virtually. It is recommended that City Council meetings continue to allow for virtual participation to protect the public health and maintain social distancing. Council subcommittees remain meeting virtually because the City meeting room where subcommittee meetings previously were held has been re-purposed for staff offices in order to provide for social distancing for staff health and safety. It is proposed that Council subcommittees continue to meet virtually for such social distancing reasons. City commissions and committees range in size from five (5) to twenty-two (22) members, plus staff and members of the public in attendance. Such commissions and committees are in meeting rooms which do not provide for adequate social distancing for a multi-hour indoor setting (where most do not have microphones such that persons need to project their voices to be heard by the group). It is proposed that commissions and committees also continue to meet virtually for such social distancing reasons. The proposed resolution provides for findings regarding social distancing and public health arising from the COVID-19 pandemic which support the continuation of virtual public City meetings. Page 2 of 3