(a) A meeting of the council, including a meeting related to the development of grant guidelines and policies and the approval of grants, shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), except that, for purposes of this section, “meeting” shall not include a meeting at which council members are meeting as members of the Governor’s cabinet.
(b) The council may sponsor conferences, symposia, and other public forums, to seek a broad range of public advice regarding local, regional, and natural resource planning, sustainable development, and strategies to reduce and mitigate climate change.