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by FYI
Friday, Aug. 04, 2006 at 8:02 AM
L.A. City Council To Abide By 'Rules Of Decorum'
People addressing the Los Angeles
City Council will have to speak their mind without
using profanity, being too loud or making offensive
comments, according to "rules of decorum" approved
Tuesday.
Those who do not follow the guidelines will be warned once, then removed from the hearing if they continue to break the rules.
"These council chambers are about as open a forum for democracy, outside of perhaps the Speaker's Corner in London, where anybody can say anything,” Councilman Eric Garcetti said.
"You can hear speech, you can hear it repeatedly without the limitations that most of our peer bodies have," Garcetti said, referring to the county Board of Supervisors and the school board, who place limitations on the number of times a person can address those panels per meeting.
The new rules come after Michael Hunt, who is black, repeatedly uttered a racial epithet during a City Council meeting. Hunt, along with Michael Dowd and a man who refers to himself as "Zuma Dogg" regularly use taunts and slurs while opposing a "lottery system" used by the city to regulate performers and artists on Venice's Oceanfront Walk.
"We try to work with you guys, but certain words in the dictionary should be used here, and I think that's how all this came about," Hunt told the council. "I don't think if you're not directing the word to any one individual and just using it in a sentence then it's OK."
The rules were made to rein in activist associated with the community garden that was recently bulldozed at Alameda and 41st streets. They have regularly attacked City Councilwoman Jan Perry, whose district includes the property formerly known as the South Central Farm.
In response, part of the measure adopted today notes that remarks must be addressed to the whole council, and that a council member cannot be singled out.
The council also limited speakers to one minute, instead of two, during the public comment period at the end of council meetings. The idea was to allow more people to address the council during the 10 minutes state law says must be set aside for public comment.
"Although it doesn't go as far as some of us would like, it goes as far as legally we can move forward," Councilman Bernard Parks said. "It gives us clear guidance as it relates to the prospects of public comment." [snip]
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by John Earl
Wednesday, Aug. 09, 2006 at 7:23 AM
This sounds a lot like the municipal code regarding public speech at council meetings that Costa Mesa city council "abides" by. The links below will shed some light on the issue, including a link to an analysis of supreme court rulings that is contained in the first article. A one minute speaking time is outrageous! Maybe LA city council meetings should be disrupted, considering the circumstances. http://www.ocorganizer.com/html/monsoor.html http://www.ocorganizer.com/html/muni_code.html
www.ocorganizer.com
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