Residents will soon be able to provide public comments remotely during Menifee City Council meetings under a new state law taking effect July 1.
During its June 17 meeting, the city council received an overview of recent amendments to the Ralph M. Brown Act and adopted policies required to comply with the new requirements. The changes stem from Senate Bill 707, which was signed into law in October 2025 and requires local governments to offer remote public participation during public meetings.Â
City Clerk Stephanie Roseen said residents will be able to join meetings through Microsoft Teams using a computer, tablet, mobile device or telephone. Remote participants will be able to provide comments in real time without creating an account and will receive the same three-minute speaking time as in-person speakers.
According to Roseen, remote participants will be asked to raise their hand in Teams when they wish to speak. Once recognized and unmuted, their comments will be heard in the council chambers. In-person speakers will be called first, followed by remote speakers.
Instructions for participating remotely will be included on city council agendas and posted on the city’s website.
The council also adopted a policy outlining how meetings will proceed if a city-side technology disruption prevents the public from participating remotely. If a disruption occurs, and city staff is notified of the issue, the council will be required to recess the meeting for at least one hour or until service is restored. During the recess, staff will attempt to restore access.
If service cannot be restored after one hour, the council may continue the recess, adjourn the meeting or vote to continue the meeting despite the disruption.
The new remote participation procedures are scheduled to take effect at the city council’s July 15 meeting.
