California Air Resources Board

In-Person Public Participation Guidelines and Information

• Verbal testimony sign-ups (in person and via raised hands in Zoom) will close 30 minutes after public comment has begun. The electronic docket for accepting written comments will remain open at https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/applications/public-comments until the conclusion of the public comment period, when the Chair closes the record for the item. The sign-up closure time will be displayed in Zoom and on the webcast during public comment.
• In-person speakers signed up to comment will be called upon first, followed by public Zoom and phone participants wishing to make comments.
• Those who plan to verbally address the Board in person during public testimony on an item or during the open comment period must be present at the Board Meeting at the time their request-to-speak card is turned in. Cards completed by anyone other than the person planning to speak will not be accepted.
• Speakers will be added to the witness list in the order the request-to-speak cards are received by a designated Board Assistant. No substitutions or rearranging of the witness list will be permitted once a request-to-speak card has been submitted, even upon request due to travel plans or time constraints of commenters.  Because Board items may have presentations and sometimes lengthy discussions, there is no guarantee when public testimony will occur for each Board item. Please note, public testimony can occur throughout the day and may carry into the evening. Please plan accordingly if you wish to address the Board verbally in-person. 
• If public participants are not able to stay for the duration of the Board item they wish to speak on and/or the duration of the Board Meeting, which could be 5:00 p.m. or later, speakers are highly encouraged to attend and comment via Zoom or phone. Additionally, written comments will be accepted via the docket for each Board item and open comment the morning of the Board Meeting. The dockets will close on each item when the Chair closes the record on that item.
• If a speaker has turned in a request-to-speak card to speak in person and then needs to leave the meeting and wishes to comment remotely from Zoom, they must provide their name as written on their request-to-speak card to a Board Assistant who will notify the Board Clerk. When they join the meeting remotely and raise their hand, they will be added to the end of the Zoom queue.