Significant Brown Act Amendments Enacted Under SB 707

On October 6, 2025, Governor Newsom signed SB 707 enacting what some commentators have termed the most significant changes to the Ralph M. Brown Act since its initial enactment in 1953.

The amendments essentially contain two categories of revisions. The first category applies broadly to public agencies as of January 1, 2026, and the second category, labelled by some commentators as the "Super Brown Act," applies to a specially defined subset of public agencies, or an "eligible legislative body," as of July 1, 2026.

The primary revisions applicable as of January 1, 2026, are:

• Teleconferencing. Retains, but revises, existing teleconferencing and alternative teleconferencing provisions to uniformly apply certain noticing, disclosure, accessibility, and public commenting provisions. If a local agency elects to use teleconferencing, it must provide at least a 2-way audiovisual or telephonic connection and a live webcasting of the meeting. The minutes must list