(a) Meetings of members may be held at a place within or without this state as may be stated in or fixed in accordance with the bylaws. If no other place is stated or so fixed, meetings of members shall be held at the principal office of the corporation. Subject to any limitations in the articles or the bylaws of the corporation, if authorized by the board of directors in its sole discretion, and subject to those guidelines and procedures as the board of directors may adopt, members not physically present in person (or, if proxies are allowed, by proxy) at a meeting of members may, by electronic transmission by and to the corporation (Sections 20 and 21), electronic video screen communication, conference telephone, or other means of remote communication, participate in a meeting of members, be deemed present in person (or, if proxies are allowed, by proxy), and vote at a meeting of members, subject to subdivision (f).

(b) A regular meeting of members shall be held on a date, time, and with the frequency stated in or fixed in accordance with the bylaws, but in any event in each year in which directors are to be elected at that meeting for the purpose of conducting such election, and to transact any other proper business which may be brought before the meeting.

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Terms Used In California Corporations Code 5510

  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • County: includes "city and county. See California Corporations Code 14
  • directors: means natural persons, designated in the articles or bylaws or elected by the incorporators, and their successors and natural persons designated, elected, or appointed by any other name or title to act as members of the governing body of the corporation. See California Corporations Code 5047
  • Electronic transmission to the corporation: means a communication (a) delivered by (1) facsimile telecommunication or electronic mail when directed to the facsimile number or electronic mail address, respectively, which the corporation has provided from time to time to shareholders or members and directors for sending communications to the corporation, (2) posting on an electronic message board or network which the corporation has designated for those communications, and which transmission shall be validly delivered upon the posting, or (3) other means of electronic communication, (b) as to which the corporation has placed in effect reasonable measures to verify that the sender is the shareholder or member (in person or by proxy) or director purporting to send the transmission, and (c) that creates a record that is capable of retention, retrieval, and review, and that may thereafter be rendered into clearly legible tangible form. See California Corporations Code 21
  • Person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See California Corporations Code 18
  • Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Education Code 77

(c) If a corporation with members is required by subdivision (b) to hold a regular meeting and fails to hold the regular meeting for a period of 60 days after the date designated therefor or, if no date has been designated, for a period of 15 months after the formation of the corporation, or after its last regular meeting, or if the corporation fails to hold a written ballot for a period of 60 days after the date designated therefor, then the superior court of the proper county may summarily order the meeting to be held or the ballot to be conducted upon the application of a member or the Attorney General, after notice to the corporation giving it an opportunity to be heard.

(d) The votes represented, either in person (or, if proxies are allowed, by proxy), at a meeting called or by written ballot ordered pursuant to subdivision (c), and entitled to be cast on the business to be transacted shall constitute a quorum, notwithstanding any provision of the articles or bylaws or in this part to the contrary. The court may issue such orders as may be appropriate including, without limitation, orders designating the time and place of the meeting, the record date for determination of members entitled to vote, and the form of notice of the meeting.

(e) Special meetings of members for any lawful purpose may be called by the board, the chairperson of the board, the president, or such other persons, if any, as are specified in the bylaws. In addition, special meetings of members for any lawful purpose may be called by 5 percent or more of the members.

(f) A meeting of the members may be conducted, in whole or in part, by electronic transmission by and to the corporation, electronic video screen communication, conference telephone, or other means of remote communication if the corporation implements reasonable measures: (1) to provide members and proxyholders, if proxies are allowed, a reasonable opportunity to participate in the meeting and to vote on matters submitted to the members, including an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting concurrently with those proceedings, (2) if any member or proxyholder, if proxies are allowed, votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of electronic transmission to the corporation, electronic video screen communication, conference telephone, or other means of remote communication, to maintain a record of that vote or action in its books and records, and (3) to verify that each person who has voted remotely is a member or proxyholder, if proxies are allowed. A corporation shall not conduct a meeting of members solely by electronic transmission by and to the corporation, electronic video screen communication, conference telephone, or other means of remote communication unless one or more of the following conditions apply: (A) all of the members consent; (B) the board determines it is necessary or appropriate because of an emergency, as defined in paragraph (5) of subdivision (n) of Section 5140; or (C) notwithstanding the absence of consent from all members pursuant to (A) or subdivision (b) of Section 20, the meeting is conducted on or before December 31, 2025, and includes a live audiovisual feed for the duration of the meeting. A corporation holding a meeting pursuant to (C) may offer, in addition to remote audiovisual feed, an audio-only means by which a member or proxyholder may participate provided that the choice between participating via audiovisual or via audio-only means is made by the member or proxyholder and the corporation does not impose any barriers to either mode of participation. A de minimis disruption of an audio or audiovisual feed does not require a corporation to end a meeting under, or render the corporation out of compliance with, this subdivision.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 115, Sec. 2. (AB 231) Effective January 1, 2024.)