(a) All meetings of the board of governors of the association and its investment and audit committees shall be open and public, and all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting of the association except as otherwise provided in subdivision (g). This shall apply to meetings conducted in person and via teleconference. Attendance at telephonically conducted meetings by members of the public shall be made available by the publication by the association in its meeting notices as set forth below of a call-in number and passcode that members of the public may use to participate in the meeting.
(b) As used in this section, “meeting” includes any congregation of a majority of the members of the board of governors or the investment and audit committee, as applicable, at the same time to hear, discuss, or deliberate upon any item that is within the responsibility of the association as set forth in this article or in the association’s plan of operations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a meeting shall not include any of the following:
(1) Individual contacts or conversations between a member of the board of governors and any other person, including, but not limited to, any employee or official of the association, that do not violate subdivision (c).
(2) The attendance of a majority of the members of the board of governors or a committee at an industry conference or other gathering organized by a person or organization other than the association, provided that a majority of the members do not discuss among themselves any item that is within the responsibility of the association as set forth in this article or in the association’s plan of operations.
(3) The attendance of a majority of the members, the board of governors, or a committee at a purely social or ceremonial occasion, provided that a majority of the members do not discuss among themselves any item that is within the responsibility of the association as set forth in this article or in the association’s plan of operations.
(c) (1) A majority of the members of the board of governors shall not, outside a meeting authorized by this article, use a series of communications of any kind, directly or through intermediaries, to discuss, deliberate, or take action on any item of business that is within the responsibility of the association as set forth in this article or in the association’s plan of operations.
(2) Paragraph (1) shall not be construed as preventing any employee or officer of the association from engaging in separate conversations or communications outside of a meeting authorized by this article with members of the board of governors in order to answer questions or provide information regarding matters within the responsibility of the association, if that person does not communicate to members of the board of governors the comments or position of any other member or members of the board.
(d) All meetings of the association authorized under this article shall comply with the protections and prohibitions contained in Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation of that act.
(e) The association shall provide notice of its meetings that are open and public pursuant to subdivision (a). This notice and an agenda of items to be discussed shall be provided at least 10 days in advance of the meeting via the association’s Internet Web site, and the notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the State of California. In addition, members of the public may request notice by regular mail or by e-mail by making a written request to the association for notice of meetings that are open and public pursuant to subdivision (a). Notice may be waived, or the 10-day period modified with respect to any particular meeting by the board of governors of the association upon request submitted to the commissioner stating the need for a modified notice and exigent circumstances requiring waiver of the notice requirement at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting time set. The approval of the commissioner shall be deemed granted if a written denial of the request for waiver or modification of the notice period is not received at least four hours prior to the commencement of the meeting to be conducted under the modified notice. Notice of a meeting that does not meet the 10-day notice requirement under this subdivision shall be posted on the association’s Internet Web site and provided by e-mail to members of the public who have made a written request for e-mail notice to the association of meetings that are open and public pursuant to subdivision (a). A summary agenda shall be included in each such notice, but members of the board of governors may bring additional items of business to any such meeting.
(f) At any meeting where notice is required pursuant to this section, the association shall reserve time for public comment on the issues addressed at the meeting.
(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the board of governors of the association or its investment and audit committees from holding a closed meeting or a closed session of an open and public meeting to discuss any of the following subjects:
(1) Bond issuances or other matters relating to borrowings of the association.
(2) Matters regarding the detection and prevention of insolvency of members of the association as contemplated by this article.
(3) Nonpublic information received from liquidators, receivers, and regulators regarding members of the association.
(4) Nonpublic information received from the California Liquidation Office.
(5) Proprietary information regarding third-party administrators, vendors that provide products and services in connection with claims administration, or investments made by the association. Proprietary information also includes information which the association and its corresponding out-of-state associations only have access to pursuant to binding contractual confidentiality provisions.
(6) Nonpublic financial information regarding members of the association, including information in support of requests for assessment deferrals.
(7) Statutory interpretations and other advice received from legal counsel to the association, whether in connection with litigation or otherwise.
(8) Appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, or dismissal of any employee or vendor that provides products and services in connection with claims administration of the association.
(9) Deliberations concerning the purchase, sale, exchange, or lease of real or personal property, including investment property.
(10) Matters posing a threat of criminal or terrorist activity against the association, its personnel, or its property.
(11) Covered claims and purported covered claims against the association.
(12) Disputes and purported disputes with or involving members of the association.
(13) Any other matters as permitted by the commissioner under the association’s approved plan, provided such matters may be heard in a closed meeting or a closed session consistent with Section 11126 of the Government Code.
(h) With respect to any closed meeting or session held as permitted by subdivision (g), the association shall do both of the following:
(1) Disclose, prior to the closed meeting or the closed session, the general nature of the item or items to be discussed in the closed session. The disclosure may take the form of a reference to the item or items as they are listed by number or letter on the agenda. In the closed session, the board of governors may consider only those matters covered in its disclosure. After any closed session, the board of governors shall reconvene in open session prior to adjournment and shall make any reports, provide any documentation, or make any other disclosures that may be required consistent with this article. The announcements required to be made in open session pursuant to this subdivision may be made at the location announced in the agenda for the closed session, as long as the public is allowed to be present at that location for the purpose of hearing the announcement.
(2) Provide periodic reports to the commissioner identifying the matters covered in each such closed meeting or session and the provision of subdivision (g) pursuant to which the subject was discussed.
(i) Nothing in this section shall require or authorize the disclosure of names or other information that would constitute an invasion of privacy or otherwise unnecessarily divulge the particular facts concerning the closed session or the disclosure of which is prohibited by state or federal law.
(j) The commissioner or his or her designated representative shall be permitted to attend all meetings of the board of governors and its investment and audit committees, specifically including closed meetings and sessions. Any information discussed in closed meetings or sessions shall be treated by the commissioner and his or her designated representatives as confidential pursuant to the provisions of Section 12919.
(Added by Stats. 2008, Ch. 407, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)