City Council Could Move to Hybrid-Public Meetings

The City Council on Monday could move to hybrid meetings that would allow members of the public to attend meetings in the council chambers and others to attend virtually.

City staff will look into the format and bring a report back to the City Council.

Hybrid meetings would force council meetings to open their homes or a hotel room for the public to attend since that location would be considered part of the meetings, according to pre-existing Brown Act provisions.   

“It takes all of our staff to hold an in-person meeting. It takes all of our staff and more to hold a hybrid meeting,” according to City Manager Miguel Marquez, who called on the City Council to hold virtual meetings one more month.

The City Council voted to continue meeting virtually while staff studies the options available and the costs of hybrid meeting.

The vote means the City Council will continue to be virtual until at least November.  

Zoom became a popular format for meetings after the pandemic began. 

In order to continue with the local emergency, the council must present its findings on the emergency.

The Health Department still believes COVID-19 to be a health risk. 

“If you continue with this resolution you could have hybrid participation, but you have to think about the effects of your findings,” said City Attorney Michelle Bagneris. 

The Council must make findings to continue the local emergency. 

Mayor Victor Gordo reiterated his call for allowing the public to attend meetings in person. 

Gordo expressed his desire to open the chamber doors to the public for in-person meetings last month.

“I’d like to see us back in front of the public by the middle of October,” Gordo said. 

The City Council has been meeting virtually — after closing down entirely for a short time —  since a local emergency was declared at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to continue meeting online, the Council must pass a resolution roughly every 30-days under the terms of Assembly Bill 361.

Beyond that initial 30-day period, it must confirm the circumstances of the state of emergency and make required findings at least 30 days after adoption of the resolution and every 30 days thereafter.

An executive order signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom allowing virtual meetings and suspending parts of the Brown Act, which governs open meetings of legislative bodies, ended on Sept. 30.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ reopened its doors for in-person public attendance for the first time since the early days of the pandemic late last month.

The decision to resume in-person meetings was prompted by the county’s recent move from the “medium” to “low” COVID-19 community activity level, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I do think it’s time to be back in person,” Gordo said.