How [City Name] Achieved SB 707 Compliance in Just 8 Weeks

Prepared by Convene Research and Development

Executive Summary

Two levers proved decisive: decision latency reductions through micro-drills and printed runbooks, and procurement language that made quality measurable (latency, accuracy, completeness) rather than aspirational.

Residents experience compliance as continuity: intelligible audio, timely captions, reliable interpretation, and an archive that appears quickly as a complete bundle under a stable URL. Our methodology converts statutory language into those perceptible outcomes.

What Residents Experience as Compliance

This document outlines how [City Name] achieved SB 707 compliance in eight weeks via governance, technology configuration, accessibility practices, and drills.

1. Policy Context and SB 707 Requirements

Not all meetings require the same level of service. The city published a tiering policy so expectations matched salience. Exceptions required a dated note and a remediation plan to avoid silent underperformance.

Scope Boundaries and Exceptions

Instead of treating SB 707 as a checklist, [City Name] defined a small set of service-level objectives (SLOs)—caption latency ≤2.0 seconds for Tier A meetings, interpreter uptime ≥99%, archive completeness within the posting SLA—and made them testable at the console.

Operationalizing Statutory Intent

SB 707 demands operational accessibility—residents must be able to follow meetings live and through complete archives. Compliance joins AV quality, caption timeliness, interpretation availability, and publication integrity.

Table 1. SB 707 operational expectations and evidence of compliance

Area	Expectation Residents Experience	Compliance Evidence	Owner
Live audio and video	Intelligible stream without dropouts	Rehearsal clip; encoder health logs	AV
Live captioning	Timely captions with high accuracy	Latency readouts; sample QA	Accessibility
Interpretation	Clear, synchronized interpretation	ISO track samples; operator checklist	Accessibility/AV
Publication bundle	Recording, captions, transcript, agenda, minutes, translations	Canonical link; checksums; link audit	Records/Web
Corrections & auditability	Transparent corrections with timestamps	Corrections page; change log	Clerk/Records

2. Baseline Assessment and Gap Analysis

Root causes clustered around shared identities, unpinned software versions, and publication steps that lived in personal memory rather than a shared checklist.

Root-Cause Themes

Assessment combined a two-hour room walk-through with a live-meeting shadow. Evidence included encoder logs, caption latency screenshots, and a publication link audit. Findings were logged with owners and due dates.

Method and Evidence

A path-from-mic-to-archive diagram exposed single points of failure and publishing inconsistencies. Identity practices were tightened and publication standardized.

Table 2. Gap analysis results at project start

Domain	Observed State	Gap	Target in 8 Weeks
Identity & access	Shared admin accounts	No per-user accountability	SSO + MFA; per-user roles
Captioning	Mixed engines; variable latency	Latency unreliable; ad hoc QA	Pinned engine; latency ≤ 2.0 s
Interpretation	Ad hoc routing	No ISO records; echo risk	Documented mix-minus; ISO capture
Publication	Recordings posted; captions delayed	No canonical page; broken links	Complete bundle; link audits

3. Governance and Accountability Model

A one-page monthly scorecard tracked SLOs against thresholds with plain-language explanations and next actions; a change log documented updates, role changes, and vendor incidents.

Scorecards and Change Logs

An ICS-lite model named owners and deputies, reducing single-person risk and vacation gaps. Weekly change windows avoided patches during marquee meetings.

Roles, Deputies, and Change Windows

[City Name] implemented an ICS-lite model with explicit owners for Incident, Operations, Communications, and Records.

Table 3. RACI matrix for SB 707 operations

Process	Requester	Clerk/PM	AV/IT	Accessibility	Records/Web	Legal/Comms
Intake and scoping	R	A	C	C	C	I
Caption engine configuration	I	C	C	A/R	I	I
Interpretation routing	I	C	A/R	A/R	I	I
Publication bundle	I	C	I	C	A/R	I
Corrections and errata	I	A	I	C	R	C

4. Eight Week Critical Path

Marquee meetings were protected by version pinning and change-freeze windows. Each week produced an artifact residents could see—linked bundle, corrections page, or published scorecard.

Managing Risk During Transition

Identity and endpoint stabilization came first to shrink the blast radius. Only then did the team tune caption engines and interpretation. Publishing automation followed so that success was visible to residents.

Sequencing Rationale

Sequenced changes—identity first, then telemetry, then publication—reduced risk while delivering visible progress.

Table 4. Week-by-week milestones with owners and artifacts

Week	Milestone	Owner	Artifact/Proof
1	SSO + MFA; remove shared accounts	IT/Clerk	Access test; role roster
2	Pinned caption engine; glossary baseline	Accessibility	Latency snapshot; glossary
3	Interpretation routing; ISO capture verified	AV/Accessibility	ISO samples; checklist
4	Standby encoder; LTE profile	AV/IT	Failover drill note
5	Canonical meeting page and bundle	Records/Web	Linked bundle; checksum log
6	Live TOC and formatting standards	Records	Template; validation notes
7	Quarterly drill script; micro-drills	AV/Accessibility	Drill timeline; completion log
8	Scorecard; procurement addendum	Clerk/Procurement	Scorecard; clause addendum

5. Technology Architecture and Configuration

Images were hardened, auto-updates deferred to maintenance windows, and presets laminated to reduce operator variance under stress.

Configuration Hygiene

A single-page diagram at the console showed the golden path and its failovers. Standby encoders used distinct network and power to prevent correlated failures; LTE profiles were pre-tested monthly.

Golden Path and Failure Domains

A golden path from microphone to archive with clear fallback routes preserved service and records integrity under stress.

Table 5. Minimal technical stack with configuration cues

Layer	Primary	Fallback	Configuration Cue
Capture	Goosenecks; lectern mic	Handheld wireless	Gain ledger; presets
Video	PTZ cameras + presets	Static wide	Preset sheet
Encode/Record	Primary encoder + cloud record	Standby + LTE	Dual RTMP; alerts
Caption/Translate	Pinned engine + glossary	Alt engine; human pass	Latency ≤2 s; QA sampling
Publication	Canonical page + bundle	Corrections note	Checksums; link audit
Identity	SSO + MFA	Break-glass dual control	Quarterly access review

6. Accessibility Operations and QA

Random monthly sampling of caption and translation quality produced small, steady improvements; misses triggered glossary updates and targeted training.

Sampling and Continuous Improvement

A living glossary stabilized domain terms—budget items, program names, legal phrases—so machine and human workflows converged on consistent wording across languages.

Glossary and Domain Language

Accessibility was measured and tuned—caption latency, accuracy, interpreter uptime, and ASL visibility were tracked with actionable thresholds.

Table 6. Accessibility KPIs and action thresholds

KPI	Target	How Measured	Action on Miss
Caption latency	≤2.0 s	Operator dashboard	Switch engine; check audio path
Caption accuracy	≥95%	Reviewer rubric	Glossary update; post-edit
Interpreter uptime	≥99%	Encoder/ISO logs	Hot swap; verify mix-minus
ASL visibility	≥95%	Operator checklist	Preset recall; PiP lock

7. Procurement and Contracting

Clause Area	Minimum Standard	Verification	Risk Mitigated
Identity & roles	Per-user SSO/MFA; no shared admins	Access test; audit log	Account takeover; weak attribution
Logging & exports	Exportable logs; immutable retention	Sample export; retention policy	Opaque incidents; audit gaps
Formats & portability	WebVTT/SRT; tagged HTML/PDF; no-fee export	Artifact samples; contract	Vendor lock-in; inaccessible archives
Change control	Freeze windows around marquee meetings	Change log; contract clause	Regression during high-salience events
DPA & data use	No model training on city data; residency controls	Signed DPA; console settings	Privacy & compliance risk

SLOs that Map to Resident Experience

Contracts required per-user roles with MFA, exportable logs, open formats (WebVTT/SRT, tagged HTML/PDF), change-control windows, and no-fee exit. Bake-offs used the city’s own packets and agenda content.

Security and Portability by Contract

Contracts were amended for per-user roles, exportable logs, open formats, change-control windows, and no-fee export at exit.

Table 7. Procurement checklist aligned to SB 707 outcomes

Area	Minimum Standard	Evidence	Notes
Identity	SSO + MFA; per-user	Access test	No shared admins
Logging	Exportable, immutable	Sample export	Retention policy
Formats	WebVTT/SRT; tagged PDF/HTML	Sample artifacts	Avoid proprietary viewers
APIs	Metrics/logs access	Docs + demo	Automation ready
Change control	No updates during marquee	Contract clause	Stability first
Exit rights	No-fee export	Contract clause	Continuity on vendor change

8. Risk Register and Controls

Every risk had a specific trigger threshold, a named action, and an evidence artifact. This structure made incident reviews factual and fast.

Triggers, Actions, and Evidence

Risks residents notice first were prioritized—intelligibility, caption spikes, interpreter issues, and broken links—each with a named trigger and action.

Table 8. Risk register with triggers and mitigations

Risk	Trigger	Mitigation	Owner	Evidence
Caption latency spike	>2 s for 60 s	Switch engine; verify audio	Accessibility	Dashboard snapshot
Encoder failure	>1% dropped frames	Lower bitrate; switch standby	AV/IT	Drill notes; logs
Interpreter echo	Operator report	Verify mix-minus; adjust	Accessibility/AV	ISO sample
Broken links	Monthly audit finds issues	Repair; corrections note	Records	Link report

9. Training Drills and Change Management

A short drill rehearsed standby encoder and LTE failover. The drill timeline was appended to the meeting record to normalize transparency.

Quarterly Live-Switch Drill

Five-minute preflights—record 30 seconds, check caption latency, verify interpreter returns, confirm canonical link—caught most defects before they became public issues.

Micro-Drills Ahead of Gavel

Micro-drills in preflight and one quarterly live-switch drill kept handoffs smooth without overburdening staff.

Table 9. Drill cadence and success criteria

Drill	Cadence	Pass Criterion	Artifact
Daily preflight	Before doors	All checks green ≤5 min	Rehearsal clip; dashboard glance
Quarterly failover	Quarterly	Standby ≤60 s; clean audio	Drill timeline; notes
Monthly link audit	Monthly	Zero broken links	Audit report; repair log

10. Budget and Total Cost of Ownership

Measure	Target (Tier A)	Current	Trend	Narrative / Next Action
Caption latency	≤2.0 s	1.6 s	↘ improving	Pinned engine; glossary refresh scheduled
Caption accuracy (sample)	≥95%	94%	↗ rising	Add post-edit on close-call items
Interpreter uptime	≥99%	99.3%	→ stable	Hot-swap verified in Q3 drill
Archive completeness	100% within SLA	100%	→ stable	Link audit weekly; zero broken links
Complaint volume (count)	↓ MoM	-23%	↘ improving	Corrections page adopted citywide

Table 11. Monthly SB 707 scorecard template (resident-facing)

The city deliberately traded small, predictable operating costs for fewer emergency purchases and less rework. Flat-rate tiers and standardized presets reduced invoice volatility and staff overtime.

Variance Reduction Story

A conservative five-year TCO showed lower variance and fewer emergency purchases, with savings from flat-rate tiers and reduced rework.

Table 10. TCO components and savings levers

Component	Driver	Savings Lever	Verification
Licenses/services	Minutes, languages, seats	Flat-rate tiers; version pinning	Invoices; change log
Staff time	Meetings × minutes	Checklists; automation	Timesheets; queue metrics
Storage/egress	Media + captions growth	Lifecycle tiers; CDN	Usage reports
Training/drills	Turnover; cadence	Micro-drills; runbooks	Drill logs

11. Results and Citizen Impact

Complaint volume fell, duplicate records requests declined, and council summaries linked directly to complete bundles. Media coverage cited the corrections page as a trust signal when incidents did occur.

Measurable Outcomes

By week eight, targets were met: caption latency stabilized, interpretation was reliable, and complete bundles were posted on time. Complaints and duplicate record requests declined.

12. Lessons Learned and Replication Playbook

Avoid undocumented exceptions, unpinned versions ahead of marquee meetings, and privately stored credentials.

What to Avoid

Short checklists, laminated presets, and canonical publishing policies scaled across departments without new headcount.

What Scaled Well

Stabilize identity and publication first; drill small and often; write procurement to preserve what worked. Publish a one-page posture so residents know how continuity is maintained during incidents.

13. Frequently Asked Questions

Deputies and universal checklists made turnover survivable. Cross-training was prioritized over role specialization.

Staffing and Turnover

Do we need new hardware? Often no. Start with governance and drills, then add targeted spares.

Can small teams meet the timeline? Yes—discipline and sequencing matter more than spend.

14. Endnotes

Endnotes should reference your local continuity guidance, accessibility policies, and records schedules to make audit trails straightforward.

References to accessibility guidance, continuity practices, and records policy translate legal requirements into operational controls residents can verify.

15. Bibliography

Annotated sources preserve institutional memory—note how each source informed thresholds or procedures.

WCAG-aligned captioning and document remediation resources.
Identity and access management practices for municipal environments.
Streaming security and DDoS mitigation references.
Records-retention schedules for audiovisual content and web artifacts.

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