PREPARED BY: M. OJEDA AND C. ERLENHEIM DATE OF MEETING: 11/16/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
PROPOSED OPERATIONAL PLAN FOLLOWING THE ENACTMENT OF SB 1187 (2026), BROWN ACT REQUIREMENTS, AND CONFIRMATION OF THE CITY’S INTERNAL OPERATIONAL PROCESSES FOR LANGUAGE TRANSLATION, AND PUBLIC MEETING ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION, FOLLOWING CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION TO CONSIDER VOLUNTARILY MAINTAINING APPLICABLE SERVICE LEVELS PREVIOUSLY REQUIRED BY SB 707
CEQA: This proposed action is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the proposed post-SB 1187 voluntary operational plan with an annual starting cost of $30,000.
Body
Senate Bill 707 (SB 707), enacted in October 2025, expanded certain requirements under the Ralph M. Brown Act in an effort to promote public meeting access, translation services, and participation. The City Council adopted Resolution 2026-082 on June 15, 2026, addressing interruptions to two-way remote access, and the City implemented full compliance procedures by July 1, 2026. In September 2026, Senate Bill 1187 (SB 1187) was enacted. SB 1187 amended SB 707 by eliminating the new language-access requirements, including translated agendas and assistance with meeting interpretation, while leaving other SB 707’s requirements, including remote public participation, in place.
On November 2, 2026, after receiving a briefing on SB 1187, the City Council requested an operational plan to voluntarily retain selected SB 707 elements that would serve the City of San Pablo residents.
This report provides an operational plan regarding how the City of San Pablo intends to voluntarily continue providing selected language-support services following SB 1187’s changes to the Brown Act requirements established by SB 707.
1. Live interpretation at City Council meetings
The City proposes to continue voluntarily providing meeting translation support through Wordly for all City Council meetings, rather than only upon request. In-person and remote participants can access real-time interpretation in multiple languages through live audio or captions. Participants can scan a QR code or follow a meeting link, select a preferred language on a personal device, and participate without downloading an app or creating an account. Additional public comment time for speakers using interpreters remains required.
2. Spanish-language meeting agendas
Although SB 1187 eliminated the translated-agenda requirement, the City proposes to continue creating and posting Spanish translations of City Council meeting agendas. The translated agendas will be posted on the City website and the physical bulletin board alongside the English version.
The City proposes to remove the designated outdoor bulletin board previously reserved for residents to post their own agenda translations. The presentation states that the board has not been used for this purpose and is not expected to be used in the future; it also cites monitoring, maintenance, and the risk of unrelated, inappropriate, or vandalized postings.
3. Website accessibility and document translation
The City has secured DocAccess, a website add-on, for general website accessibility that provides for the following capabilities:
• Translates documents into more than 150 languages; the City uses this capability internally to generate posted agenda translations.
• Supports screen readers and keyboard navigation, and offers live visual assistance through Aira as an additional resource for people with visual impairments. Aira is a remote, on-demand assistive technology service that connects people who are blind or have low vision with professionally trained human visual interpreters via a smartphone app and live video.
• Converts PDFs-including scanned documents, forms, and tables-into accessible web text.
• Provides AI-generated document summaries and outlines and allows users to ask questions about document content.
4. Online public information and outreach
The City will continue providing past and present agendas, minutes, and meeting videos through its Legistar systems, and will maintain a dedicated City Council meeting information and participation webpage. As part of the continued requirement to share information about upcoming meetings, the City will continue outreach through social media, weekly E-News, the seasonal Recreation Events guide, and quarterly printed editions of The El Portal, which is mailed to all residents. These outreach materials are currently provided in English and Spanish.
5. Council Chambers audio/video and internet services
The City secured a service contract for preventive maintenance, remote monitoring, and emergency support of the Council Chambers audio/video system. A Comcast secondary internet line will keep two-way remote access available if the primary internet connection fails, consistent with Resolution No. 2026-082. Partial costs for these service are included in this report.
FISCAL IMPACT
6. Estimated Annual Cost
|
Cost item |
Estimated annual cost |
|
Wordly - approximately 3,600 meeting minutes |
$5,000 |
|
DocAccess - annual service cost |
$10,000 |
|
PCD service contract |
|
|
Comcast Calnet secondary internet |
$13,000 |
|
Staff time - Spanish agenda translation and posting (14 hours; average 28 public meetings) |
$2,000 |
|
Total estimated annual cost |
$30,000 |
The Wordly estimate is based on 2026 actual meeting activity. Additional minute packages may be purchased if needed, with package prices ranging from $950 to $3,000.
The estimated annual cost of $30,000 is currently unbudgeted, except Wordly, which is included in the FY 2026-27 adopted budget (account 100-1430-42005). For FY 2026-27, the estimated unbudgeted costs of approximately $25,000 are anticipated to be covered through one-time funds, such as the FY 2026-27 Fund 100 Multi-Department (1430) and if needed, the City Manager Contingency Reserve (Fund 190), as well as additional unforeseen costs. The cost information provided in this report is based on current known costs and does not include escalated costs for staff salary increases or software license increases, for example.
In subsequent fiscal years, ongoing costs will need to be incorporated into the General Fund Operating Budget as a new and voluntary regulatory compliance expense, subject to the annual budget process.