Good morning, Redwood City!
Significant Changes at City Council this weekend…
We've been hearing about how some public agencies across the county have been experiencing disruptions during their virtual meetings. Our sister paper, the Almanac, wrote about one case in Atherton. Disruptions include trolling behavior in which users bombard Zoom or virtual public meetings with hate-filled speech or images. Events like this have occurred in South San Francisco, San Carlos, Pacifico and other places, to name a few.
Last week, Redwood City Mayor Jeff Gee announced a change in public comment protocols, which would go into effect immediately and continue through December. At that time, the city will reevaluate its protocol.
Mayor Gee attributed this decision to the "vile comments and images" exhibited by some Zoom attendees. The chief objective behind these changes, according to Gee, is to ensure that all city residents can contribute to city discussions without any hindrances or being subjected to hate speech.
What are the New Procedures?
- Residents wishing to provide public comments for City Council meetings have two avenues: in person or via email publiccomment@redwoodcity.org.
- Although City Council meetings remain accessible for public viewing on Zoom, attendees will no longer have the facility to offer comments through the platform.
- Should the city receive an email with a public comment by 5 p.m. on the meeting day, which either relates to an item on the agenda or is a general comment falling within the city's purview, it will be vocalized during the council meeting. It's important to note that every public comment is regarded as a public record.
Concerns Raised by Residents:
In the wake of these procedural changes, the Pulse has received feedback from concerned residents who perceive this move as potentially stifling a free and open democracy. These residents believe that limiting public comments on platforms like Zoom could inadvertently mute some voices, especially those who might not have the means or ability to attend in person or send comments via email. To ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation and to address these concerns, we have reached out to the city for an official comment. We will update our readers as soon as we receive a response.
Thanks to Cathy Baird for her photo of the Port of Redwood City. Have a photo to share? Send it to us at editor@rwcpulse.com.
-Michelle