Edhat Reader
By Timothy Moorhouse
My last opinion post to edhat discussed my frustration over the Santa Barbara City Council’s decision to remove virtual public comments.
After the council temporarily discontinued the virtual comments, due to incidents of discriminatory callers that likely were not from the area, I shared my opinions on the matter. While understanding the reasons why, I argued that it’s imperative to keep our freedom of speech and thought maybe there was a way to keep this without allowing hateful commenters to take over public settings.
I’m happy to hear earlier this month the council voted to reinstate the option for virtual public comments. Mayor Randy Rowse explained that while remote public comments were abused, the council still values public participation and has implemented new guidelines.
The guidelines include maintaining civility, refraining from offensive or defamatory language, and not engaging in disruptive behaviors such as clapping or shouting. The mayor emphasized that a respectful and abuse-free atmosphere would be maintained during public comments. While remote public comments are not legally mandated, the council offered this option to ensure broader participation.
The public can now provide comments through written correspondence, in-person at City Hall, or remotely via Zoom or phone call.
I applaud the council for making this decision and ensuring all voices are heard, especially Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez for speaking out about the importance of this during the previous meetings.
Now if only I can get my extended family members to adhere to the same comment guidelines during holiday dinners.
Op-Ed’s are written by community members, not representatives of edhat. The views and opinions expressed in Op-Ed articles are those of the author’s.
[Do you have an opinion on something local? Share it with us at info@edhat.com.]
Well said!