Lompoc adopts SB 707 policy to allow phone and Teams public comment, adds translation and contingency rules

The Lompoc City Council on June 16 adopted a staff policy to implement Senate Bill 707, widening public access to meetings by enabling two‑way audio participation through Microsoft Teams and phone dial‑in, and by offering translation and captioning tools.

Under the policy, remote participants may sign into an audio‑only Teams session and use the raise‑hand feature; the meeting moderator will call speakers in order and cut off speeches after the standard three‑minute allotment. If two‑way connectivity fails, staff have up to one hour to restore service; if restoration is not possible, the council must vote whether to continue the meeting without remote two‑way access or to suspend/postpone the meeting.

To broaden accessibility, the city will provide closed captions on posted video and a vendor app (with a QR code at the meeting) offering English/Spanish audio or text translation. Staff also plans to maintain a limited number of loaner devices with headsets for on‑site translation assistance. Council directed staff to return with refinements on microphone control and privacy concerns for off‑calendar conversations.

Council approved the policy unanimously and instructed staff to prepare implementation steps before the July 1 implementation deadline for the statute.