City of Santa Barbara Brings Back Virtual Public Comments

After pulling the plug on virtual public comment before the Thanksgiving break — a controversial decision Mayor Randy Rowse explained was due to a string of racist callers during City Council meetings — the City of Santa Barbara has reversed course, bringing back the ability for the public to call in remotely to council meetings once again, albeit with some newly laid ground rules.

“We shut off remote public comment because it got abused,” Mayor Rowse said before the public comment period during last week’s council session. ”But this council really wants to have remote public comment as part of the ability to participate for the public at large.”

He said that the city takes public participation very seriously, but that there would have to be “certain guidelines we’d like to adhere to” going forward.

“We want to hear from everyone, which means we have to protect the voices of everyone. And that means a certain level of civility, a certain level of decorum. It means not using obscene or offensive language. It means not using any defamatory language,” he said. “You have First Amendment rights, but this is, in fact, a business meeting, and a business meeting is going to be conducted by the rules and desires of this council.”

That meant, he explained, “no clapping, booing, and shouting out,” or any form of “intimidation or interruption.”

“We will not allow for an abusive atmosphere,” Rowse said. 

He emphasized that the right to call in and give remote public comment was not required by the Brown Act, but it was something the Santa Barbara City Council has offered to allow more people to participate in public meetings. He asked that commenters stick to items “within this jurisdiction” and refrain from speaking on issues that were not directly related to the City of Santa Barbara or its residents.

Members of the public can now offer comments each week through written correspondence, in person at City Hall, and remotely through Zoom or phone call.