Marin to install $1.1M broadcast system in supervisors’ chambers

Marin County supervisors will begin the new year meeting in the Marin Center Showcase Theater while a new $1.14 million audiovisual broadcasting system is being installed in their chambers.

The temporary relocation is expected to continue through February, but could be extended depending on the progress of construction. Meetings will continue to be streamed online while the work is being done.

Other bodies that regularly meet in the room — such as the Marin Housing Authority, the Marin County Planning Commission and other public boards — will also be relocated to the Showcase Theater.

“These improvements will significantly enhance sound quality, video clarity and really help us meet some of our livestream reliability and other ADA requirements for everyone who participates,” County Executive Derek Johnson told supervisors at their Dec. 16 meeting. ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act.

At that same meeting, supervisors also approved spending $1.19 million to upgrade the audiovisual equipment in the county’s conference rooms.

For at least the last two decades, the county has made supervisors’ meetings available for viewing via the internet, Channel 27 for Comcast subscribers or Channel 99 for AT&T U-verse subscribers. Board meetings became even more accessible following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For a time, in-person meetings were not permitted over fears of transmitting the virus. As a result, for several months, the supervisors conducted their meetings over the Zoom video conferencing platform.

When the pandemic eased and public meetings once again became an option, the county continued using Zoom so the public would be able to comment remotely.

Now the system needs an upgrade, said Laine Hendricks, a spokesperson for the county.

“Our equipment is antiquated and failing, leading to crackling or uneven audio, video stream disruption and other challenges which impact the public’s ability to view and engage with our meetings,” Hendricks said.

Public engagement is no longer just a frill. Senate Bill 707, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October, requires legislative bodies to provide a two-way telephonic option or audiovisual platform for the public at all their public meetings. The law also specifies that if the body elects to use a two-way audiovisual platform, it must publicly post and provide a call-in option and include active captioning functions.

The new system will incorporate dual-language captioning, simultaneous interpretation, assistive listening technology and American Sign Language into meeting broadcasts.

Jonathan Frieman of San Rafael, a longtime advocate for better accommodations for people with hearing loss, said he doesn’t know enough about the county’s plans to say if it would be an improvement over the current system. Frieman, who is deaf without hearing aids, said he registered a complaint with Marin County Superior Court in September after court staff refused to swear him in because he couldn’t hear when he contested a traffic ticket.

The county’s current assisted listening devices employ Wi-Fi to transmit sound directly from the meeting’s audio system to a personal receiver or compatible hearing aids.

“The only problem with that,” Frieman said, “is that there is a lag between the time they are saying words, and I’m hearing it in my ears.”

Frieman said the effect, like watching a movie that hasn’t been synched properly, makes it difficult for people who have been taught to read lips.

Hendricks said the county is aware of “lots of issues and inconsistent performance” with the devices and intends to replace them with another product.

“The way in which the new products will be integrated into the new audiovisual system will provide greater audio clarity and better coverage/range in the physical board chamber space,” she said.

Hendricks said the new product will give users the option of connecting to the system using a receiver and headphones that the county will provide onsite or via a smartphone app. The system can connect to t-coil hearing aids or cochlear implants.

The county currently provides English captions online and on display in the supervisors’ chambers. With the upgrade, both English and Spanish captions will be offered online and will be on display in the meeting room. Spanish interpretation services will continue to be offered as they have the past few years.

“Unlike accommodations that may be requested individually, captions are a universal design feature that benefits everyone in the room,” said Laney Davidson, the county’s disability access manager. “Captions also benefit people with diverse communication needs beyond hearing loss. Individuals who are late-deafened, have auditory processing disorders, are non-native English speakers, or are unfamiliar with technical or policy-specific terminology can use captions to reinforce understanding.”