Frustrated parent at Natomas Unified School District board meeting 9/1/21. (Photo: screen capture https://natomasusd.news)
Gov. Newsom Signs Bill to Re-define State’s Open Meeting Act
Governor approves setting new rules for disrupted public meetings
By Katy Grimes, August 23, 2022 7:24 am
A bill to redefine California’s open meeting act, the The Brown Act, has been signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Senate Bill 1100, authored by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-Silicon Valley) and Assemblyman Evan Low’s (D-Silicon Valley), authorizes the presiding member of a legislative body conducting a meeting to remove an individual for disrupting the meeting.
The proposed SB 1100 is antithetical to California’s open meeting act, the Ralph M. Brown Act, passed in 1953.
What is concerning about this vague bill is SB 1100 defines “disrupting” as engaging in behavior that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting and includes, but is not limited to:
a) A failure to comply with reasonable and lawful regulations adopted by a legislative body pursuant to existing law.
b) Engaging in behavior that includes the use of force or true threats of force.
This sounds flagrantly open to loose definitions of “disruptive” by lawmakers who just want the peasants to sit down and shut up.
The Globe reported in early August:
While there were and still are many angry constituents and parents attending public meetings and hearings during the state’s Covid lockdowns of school, businesses, and churches, the bill’s authors never acknowledge the pain and suffering the people of California went through under the guise of “public health,” which likely led to hot tempers and fur flying at some meetings. The Governor, Legislature, city councils and county boards are at the heart of what caused these disruptions by supporting the lockdowns of millions of healthy people.
And the lawmakers supporting SB 1100 are pretending that they are just reacting to irrational angry masses.
Additionally, what stunned many local boards and councils is that members of the public showed up demanding accountability and justification for the business, churches and school lockdowns and shutdowns. And yes, many of these business owners and parents were livid at the government which destroyed their businesses, kept their children out of school for nearly two years, and prevented them from worshiping. They have a right to be angry and demand accountability, as the League of California Cities explains.
The Globe noted that rules already exist to allow elected boards to halt a disrupted meeting and even have the disrupters removed.
State and local officials never want to have to encounter their constituents like that again.
Rather than reconsider their overreach and authoritarianism, California’s Democrat lawmakers chose to double down with restrictions to free speech and assembly. Expect to see a 1st Amendment challenge to this bill.
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Seriously? What the hell is Newsom thinking? This is completely outrageous and unacceptable. A “disruptive citizen” will be defined by the board, council, or other legislative body itself to apply to any known citizen critic or even one-time complaining public speaker. And never mind the justifiably loud and angry shouters of recent vintage, we’ve all seen how the marxist snowflake-weepy council members and other electeds salivate to shut down, and DO shut down, ANYONE who criticizes them at all or otherwise utters a discouraging word, from the soft-spoken citizen to the louder and more animated one.
There are some things that are such egregious violations of the First Amendment that any citizen can see it, not just constitutional scholars. This is nuts. Our rights to speak up to our elected bodies in this country are foundational. It’s bad enough they were crippled for years under the bogus Covid excuse.
Like lighting a fuse on a powder keg. Newsome stupidly promotes more removal of speech and protests, violations of the 1st Amendment. When you silence all opposition and take an authoritarian approach to government, eventually the public rebells and heads literally start to roll. Did we learn nothing from French History and the American Revolution?
Paging Harmeet Dhillon…. Please report to the Defense of the First Amendment…
Paging Harmeet Dhillon….
At least he didn’t amend it such that the “disruptor” be EXECUTED on the spot for disrupting the Kings and Queens of Democrat California……
That’s next month… Er, wait, after the mid-terms in November….
“SILENCE!!!”
SB1100 Once again demonstrates why we need a new Governor and a new State Assembly and Senate. The system them believe in is one that is out to destroy the American System where we don’t restrict the right to assemble and free speech to openly discuss our ideas. The American System is one of growth, it is time we American Patriots return to the American System and take the leadership. That is why I am running for State Assembly 18 in the November election–Mindy Pechenuk
Un-F….ing believable. Truly approaching a “banana republic”. “Expect to see a 1st Amendment challenge to this bill”. God, I hope so. Who’s gonna step up to the plate? Keep us informed as I may donate to the cause.