(a) Except as provided in this section or Section 37624.3, all of the sessions of the board of trustees, whether regular or special, shall be open to the public, and a majority of the members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

(b) The board of trustees may order a meeting held solely for the purpose of discussion or deliberation, or both, of reports involving hospital trade secrets to be held in closed session. Except as provided in this subdivision, the closed session shall meet all applicable requirements of Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Division 2 of Title 5.

(c) “Hospital trade secrets,” as used in this section, means a “trade secret,” as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 3426.1 of the Civil Code, and which meets all of the following:

(1) Is necessary to initiate a new hospital service or program or add a hospital facility.

(2) Would, if prematurely disclosed, create a substantial probability of depriving the hospital of a substantial economic benefit.

(d) The exception provided in subdivision (b) to the general open meeting requirements for a meeting of the board of trustees, shall not apply to a meeting where there is action taken, as defined in Section 54952.6.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the board of trustees to order a closed meeting for the purposes of discussing or deliberating, or to permit the discussion or deliberation in any closed meeting of, any proposals regarding:

(1) The sale, conversion, contract for management, or leasing of any municipal hospital or the assets thereof, to any for-profit or nonprofit entity, agency, association, organization, governmental body, person, partnership, corporation, or hospital district.

(2) The conversion of any municipal hospital to any other form of ownership by the city.

(3) The dissolution of the municipal hospital.

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1992, Ch. 72, Sec. 8. Effective May 28, 1992.)