Bill Text: CA AB467 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Los Angeles Community College District: California Center for Climate Change Education.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-07-02 - From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 6. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. [AB467 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB467-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Senate  June 09, 2026

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 21, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 467

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Introduced by Assembly Member Fong
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Bryan)

February 06, 2025

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An act to amend Section 54953.8 of the Government Code, relating to local government. An act to add Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 78085) to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 467, as amended, Fong. Open meetings: teleconferences: neighborhood councils. Los Angeles Community College District: California Center for Climate Change Education.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at community college campuses. One of these districts is the Los Angeles Community College District.

Existing law appropriates $5,000,000 to the Los Angeles Community College District for the development and initial operations of the California Center for Climate Change Education at the West Los Angeles College with the mission to promote climate change education at the California Community Colleges and establish opportunities for students to engage in hands-on internships and other learning opportunities.

This bill would codify the establishment of the center.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles Community College District.

Existing law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, requires, with specified exceptions, that all meetings of a legislative body, as defined, of a local agency be open and public and that all persons be permitted to attend and participate. The act generally requires for teleconferencing that the legislative body of a local agency that elects to use teleconferencing post agendas at all teleconference locations, identify each teleconference location in the notice and agenda of the meeting or proceeding, and have each teleconference location be accessible to the public. Existing law also requires that, during the teleconference, at least a quorum of the members of the legislative body participate from locations within the boundaries of the territory over which the local agency exercises jurisdiction, except as specified.

Existing law, until January 1, 2026, authorizes specified neighborhood city councils to use alternate teleconferencing provisions related to notice, agenda, and public participation, as prescribed, if, among other requirements, the city council has adopted an authorizing resolution and 23 of the neighborhood city council votes to use alternate teleconference provisions, as specified.

This bill would extend the authorization for specified neighborhood city councils to use the alternate teleconferencing provisions described above until January 1, 2030.

Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

The California Constitution requires local agencies, for the purpose of ensuring public access to the meetings of public bodies and the writings of public officials and agencies, to comply with a statutory enactment that amends or enacts laws relating to public records or open meetings and contains findings demonstrating that the enactment furthers the constitutional requirements relating to this purpose.

This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the neighborhood councils of the City of Los Angeles.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NO   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

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

SECTION 1.

 (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) Global climate change is an immediate threat to the United States’ national security, public health, and national economy, and to the legacy we will leave to our children.

(2) These environmental and health burdens fall disproportionately on communities of color, women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, low-income communities, individuals with underlying health conditions, and indigenous communities in California, who are more likely to live, work, and attend school near oil operations and who are among the populations most vulnerable to the escalating impacts of climate change.

(3) Domestic clean energy jobs continue to be among the fastest growing occupations. The United States can lead the world in innovating and manufacturing clean energy technologies, creating good-paying jobs, modernizing the energy grid, and growing new companies that will be the titans of a new clean energy economy.

(4) On July 8, 2020, the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles Community College District adopted a Clean Energy and Sustainability Resolution, which directs the district’s staff to develop and implement a Sustainability Vision 2040 Plan for the district that establishes a pathway to achieving a goal of 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2040.

(5) The people of the state, and people across the United States, overwhelmingly support teaching students about the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global climate change.

(6) The Los Angeles Community College District’s West Los Angeles College currently offers the only climate change and environmental studies associate of arts degree in the state, providing students with the educational preparation to understand the impact of climate change on their lives and local communities, and our global society.

(7) West Los Angeles College’s climate change and environmental studies associate of arts degree is designed as a pathway for students to transfer to environmental studies programs at four-year postsecondary educational institutions or to pursue environmentally related careers.

(b) It is the intent of this measure to establish the California Center for Climate Change Education at the Los Angeles Community College District’s West Los Angeles College campus.

SEC. 2.

 Article 7.5 (commencing with Section 78085) is added to Chapter 1 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

Article  7.5. The California Center for Climate Change Education

78085.

 This article shall be known, and may be cited, as the California Center for Climate Change Education.

78086.

 (a) The California Center for Climate Change Education is hereby established in the Los Angeles Community College District. The center shall be located at the West Los Angeles College.

(b) The mission of the center is to promote climate change education at the California Community Colleges and establish opportunities for students to engage in hands-on internships and other learning opportunities. The center shall do all of the following:

(1) Serve as a resource for community colleges on climate change education with the understanding that at its core, climate change is a global issue of equity and social justice.

(2) Build a clear climate change pathway that leads to appropriate certificates, degrees, and employment opportunities.

(3) Enhance partnerships with nonprofit organizations that encourage the development of student internships and work-based learning opportunities.

(4) Explore and expand internships, preapprenticeships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities in the equity, environmental justice, and green jobs sectors.

(5) Partner with local and regional entities to support the workforce training needed in the greening of the energy grid and other industries.

(6) Develop and sustain an annual urban climate change and sustainability conference.

(c) When developing a clear climate change pathway as required by paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), the center shall consult with relevant faculty and administrative groups of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, including, but not limited to, the Academic Senates of the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California, and the Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates.

SEC. 3.

 The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique circumstances regarding the Los Angeles Community College District.

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares that neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles provide important community input to the city council. Unlike other legislative bodies that have access to regular meeting locations, these volunteer, uncompensated, elected members have had trouble finding public locations to hold their meetings. While the Legislature recently granted additional teleconferencing flexibility for legislative bodies, the additional teleconferencing flexibility of this act is necessary to account for the specific needs of neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles.

SEC. 2.Section 54953.8 of the Government Code is amended to read:

54953.8.

(a)(1)An eligible legislative body may use teleconferencing without complying with paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 54953 if the eligible legislative body complies with paragraphs (2) to (4), inclusive.

(2)An eligible legislative body may only use teleconferencing as described in this section after all the following have occurred:

(A)The city council for a city described in subdivision (c) considers whether to adopt a resolution to authorize eligible legislative bodies to use teleconferencing as described in paragraph (1) at an open and regular meeting.

(B)If the city council adopts a resolution described in subparagraph (A), an eligible legislative body may elect to use teleconferencing pursuant to this section if two-thirds of the eligible legislative body votes to do so. The eligible legislative body shall notify the city council if it elects to use teleconferencing pursuant to this section and its justification for doing so.

(C)Upon receiving notification from a legislative body as described in subparagraph (B), the city council may adopt a resolution to prohibit the eligible legislative body from using teleconferencing pursuant to this section.

(3)After completing the requirements in paragraph (2), an eligible legislative body that holds a meeting pursuant to this subdivision shall do all of the following:

(A)In each instance in which notice of the time of the teleconferenced meeting is otherwise given or the agenda for the meeting is otherwise posted, the eligible legislative body shall also give notice of the means by which members of the public may access the meeting and offer public comment. The agenda shall identify and include an opportunity for all persons to attend via a call-in option or an internet-based service option.

(B)In the event of a disruption that prevents the eligible legislative body from broadcasting the meeting to members of the public using the call-in option or internet-based service option, or in the event of a disruption within the eligible legislative body’s control that prevents members of the public from offering public comments using the call-in option or internet-based service option, the eligible legislative body shall take no further action on items appearing on the meeting agenda until public access to the meeting via the call-in option or internet-based service option is restored. Actions taken on agenda items during a disruption that prevents the eligible legislative body from broadcasting the meeting may be challenged pursuant to Section 54960.1.

(C)The eligible legislative body shall not require public comments to be submitted in advance of the meeting and shall provide an opportunity for the public to address the legislative body and offer comment in real time.

(D)Notwithstanding Section 54953.3, an individual desiring to provide public comment through the use of an internet website, or other online platform, not under the control of the eligible legislative body, that requires registration to log in to a teleconference may be required to register as required by the third-party internet website or online platform to participate.

(E)(i)An eligible legislative body that provides a timed public comment period for each agenda item shall not close the public comment period for the agenda item, or the opportunity to register, pursuant to subparagraph (D), to provide public comment until that timed public comment period has elapsed.

(ii)An eligible legislative body that does not provide a timed public comment period, but takes public comment separately on each agenda item, shall allow a reasonable amount of time per agenda item to allow public members the opportunity to provide public comment, including time for members of the public to register pursuant to subparagraph (D), or otherwise be recognized for the purpose of providing public comment.

(iii)An eligible legislative body that provides a timed general public comment period that does not correspond to a specific agenda item shall not close the public comment period or the opportunity to register, pursuant to subparagraph (D), until the timed general public comment period has elapsed.

(F)At least a quorum of the members of the eligible legislative body shall participate from locations within the boundaries of the city in which the eligible legislative body is established.

(G)At least once per year, at least a quorum of the members of the eligible legislative body shall participate in person from a singular physical location that is open to the public and within the boundaries of the eligible legislative body.

(4)An eligible legislative body that holds a meeting pursuant to this subdivision shall do the following, as applicable:

(A)If the meeting is during regular business hours of the offices of the city council member that represents the area that includes the eligible legislative body, the eligible legislative body shall provide a publicly accessible physical location from which the public may attend or comment, which shall be the offices of the city council member who represents the area where the eligible legislative body is located, unless the eligible legislative body identifies an alternative location.

(B)If the meeting is outside regular business hours, the eligible legislative body shall make reasonable efforts to accommodate any member of the public that requests an accommodation to participate in the meeting. For the purposes of this subparagraph, “accommodation” means providing a publicly accessible physical location for the member of the public to participate from, providing access to technology necessary to participate in the meeting, or identifying locations or resources available that could provide the member of the public with an opportunity to participate in the meeting.

(b)The legislative body shall comply with all other requirements of Section 54953.

(c)As used in this section, “eligible legislative body” means a neighborhood council that is an advisory body with the purpose to promote more citizen participation in government and make government more responsive to local needs that is established pursuant to the charter of a city with a population of more than 3,000,000 people that is subject to this chapter.

(d)This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 3.

The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which amends Section 54953.8 of the Government Code, imposes a limitation on the public’s right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies within the meaning of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution. Pursuant to that constitutional provision, the Legislature makes the following findings to demonstrate the interest protected by this limitation and the need for protecting that interest:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, audio and video teleconference were widely used to conduct public meetings in lieu of physical location meetings, and those public meetings have been productive, increased public participation by all members of the public regardless of their location and ability to travel to physical meeting locations, increased the pool of people who are able to serve on these bodies, and protected the health and safety of civil servants and the public. Extending the operation of teleconference as conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic for neighborhood councils will continue these benefits.

SEC. 4.

The Legislature finds and declares that Section 2 of this act, which amends Section 54953.8 of the Government Code, furthers, within the meaning of paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the purposes of that constitutional section as it relates to the right of public access to the meetings of local public bodies or the writings of local public officials and local agencies. Pursuant to paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of Section 3 of Article I of the California Constitution, the Legislature makes the following findings:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, audio and video teleconference were widely used to conduct public meetings in lieu of physical location meetings, and those public meetings have been productive, increased public participation by all members of the public regardless of their location and ability to travel to physical meeting locations, increased the pool of people who are able to serve on these bodies, and protected the health and safety of civil servants and the public. Extending the operation of teleconference as conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic for neighborhood councils will continue these benefits.

SEC. 5.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the specific needs of neighborhood councils in the City of Los Angeles.