Amended in Assembly March 18, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 435

Introduced by Assembly Member Chang

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Gallagher and Olsen)

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(Coauthor: Senator Anderson)

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February 19, 2015

An act to add Sections 12805.4 and 12812.4 to the Government Code, relating to state government.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 435, as amended, Chang. California Environmental Protection Agency: Natural Resources Agency: Web casts of public meetings and workshops.

Existing law establishes the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Agency as agencies in the state government. Existing law, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, generally requires that all meetings of a state body be open and public.

This bill would require that each department, board, and commission of the Natural Resources Agency and each department, board, and office of the California Environmental Protection Agency Web cast all public meetings and workshops, in a manner that enables listeners and viewers to ask questions and provide public comment by telephone or begin delete email end delete begin insert electronic communication end insert commensurate with those attending the meeting or workshop. The bill would require the agencies to archive the recording of a Web cast for subsequent reasonable viewing by interested members of the public.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 12805.4 is added to the Government
Code, to read:

12805.4.  

(a) For purposes of this section, “Web cast” means
a media presentation distributed over the Internet using live
streaming media technology to distribute content to listeners and
viewers.

(b) Each department, board, and commission of the Natural
Resources Agency shall Web cast all public meetings and
workshops in a manner that enables listeners and viewers to ask
questions and provide public comment by telephone or begin delete email end delete
begin insert electronic communication end insert commensurate with those persons
attending the meeting or workshop. The agency shall archive the
recording of a Web cast for subsequent reasonable viewing by
interested members of the public.

(c) The requirements of subdivision (b) do not apply to a
conservancy or the California Science Center. This subdivision
does not limit the authority of the agency to Web cast meetings or
workshops of a conservancy or the California Science Center.

SEC. 2.  

Section 12812.4 is added to the Government Code, to
read:

12812.4.  

(a) For purposes of this section, “Web cast” means
a media presentation distributed over the Internet using live
streaming media technology to distribute content to listeners and
viewers.

(b) Each department, board, and office of the California
Environmental Protection Agency shall Web cast all public
meetings and workshops in a manner that enables listeners and
viewers to ask questions and provide public comment by telephone
or begin delete email end delete begin insert electronic communication end insert commensurate with those
persons attending the meeting or workshop. The agency shall
archive the recording of a Web cast for subsequent reasonable
viewing by interested members of the public.

(c) The deputy secretary for external affairs shall be responsible
for implementation of this section.