Decorum standards must be reinforced after hate speech rears its ugly head at a public meeting.

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about the role of public comments at local government meetings after listening to name-calling at Salinas City Council on Tuesday night, Nov. 18. 

One speaker addressed Councilmember Gloria De La Rosa in English and Spanish with name-calling as well as personal insults directed partly at her son. Mike Lipe, who in 2020 ran for Salinas mayor, angrily listed homophobic remarks toward Councilmember José Luis Barajas, insulting not just the Salinas Valley Pride board member but also ridiculing other LGBTQ+ identities.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, during general public comment, “the public can give comments on any matter within the subject matter jurisdiction of the legislative body.” 

I have no idea how targeting someone because of their sexual orientation, or weaponizing bilingualism to attack a councilmember and her family, would move Salinas forward, as I witnessed last night. 

Freedom of speech is not about saying whatever one wants. As a commenter who identified herself as Liz said on Tuesday night via Zoom during the council meeting, “We all value free speech but there is a clear difference between disagreeing with policy and personally attacking someone, especially someone’s sexual orientation. Personal attacks on protected characteristics have no place in civil civic discourse.”

She added the dais should be a safe space for everyone to participate and there should be standards for making public comments. “I’m asking this council to consider prohibiting personal attacks while still welcoming robust policy debate,” she said.

Mayor Dennis Donohue said such comments will not be tolerated. 

“We will reinforce our decorum standards for all parties concerned,” he said, adding there will be a conversation with the people who made those remarks.

This should also include listening to everyone who wants to participate, instead of limiting the total allotted time for public comment, a practice Donohue has adopted to keep meetings moving. At the same time, each speaker needs to respect the time limits. 

Public comment is a powerful tool and plays a key role in local government. They provide input, bring perspective from different groups in the community and more. 

People speaking up on how they want their local government to spend money or prioritize projects has resulted in different outcomes, such as the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approving $10 million instead of $6 million for direct relief in Pajaro, the creation of the VIDA program during the Covid-19 pandemic or the compromise by the Salinas City Council in approving affordable housing requirements in downtown Salinas. 

Public meetings should not provide a platform for hate speech. They must be a safe space where everyone can participate and contribute to the advancement of their communities.