Body of News Release
Marin County, CA – After a three-month closure for major audio and video modernizations, the Marin County Civic Center’s Board of Supervisors chamber is ready to host public meetings again with new technology designed to make public meetings easier to follow and more accessible for everyone.
Located on the third floor of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Civic Center, the updated chamber will host a Planning Commission meeting on Monday, April 6, followed by a Board of Supervisors meeting the next day. Visitors will notice clearer sound, improved video displays, and new tools to help people participate both in person and remotely.
The upgrades focus on improving audio clarity, video quality, and livestream reliability while expanding access for people attending Board of Supervisors’ meetings who are deaf or hard-of-hearing or have limited English proficiency. Inside the chamber, attendees can now view instant English captions on display screens and use assistive listening devices or a mobile app for enhanced audio. Instructions on how to use new enhanced listening technology will be provided on site.
The project also introduced new microphones, upgraded monitors, improved camera angles for live streaming, and enhanced graphics to make presentations easier to see and understand. In addition, the County has strengthened its ability to broadcast and record meetings in-house, improving reliability while reducing long-term costs.
Recent updates to the Ralph M. Brown Act, enacted through Senate Bill 707, expand requirements for remote participation and mandate that Counties provide a two-way telephonic or audio-visual option for Board of Supervisors meetings by July 2026. Those legislative changes prompted the County to prioritize enhanced streaming and meeting-support capabilities.
The Board approved a $1.14 million contract with Prime Electric during its October 21, 2025, meeting to handle the renovation. Funding was part of the 2025-26 County General Fund budget approved in May 2025.
Since January, the County’s largest meetings were temporarily relocated to Marin Center’s 300-seat Showcase Theater, located across the Civic Center complex near the Marin County Fairgrounds. Governing bodies that are moving back to the chamber for their meetings include the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Commission, the Marin Housing Authority, the Marin County Open Space District Board of Directors, and the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Board of Directors.
The project was a joint effort between the Clerk of the Board’s office and the County’s Information Services and Technology (IST) Department, with IST leading the technical work and the Clerk’s Office overseeing meeting operations and public access requirements. Starting in late 2025, County staff began handling the live broadcasting and archiving of video-recorded meetings, delivering long-term cost savings by reducing reliance on external vendors.