The county board of supervisors will be meeting tomorrow morning at 9 in the board of supervisors chambers.
On the board’s business agenda is an item asking the board to consider a set of amendments to the rules of procedure for the board of supervisors meetings, pertaining to the use of county equipment for public comment, as well as disruptive behavior and unruly conduct. The agenda for this item says the public comment period on July 9th has sparked discussion for the use of county equipment, and the question of first amendment protections. Materials projected during the public comment period were, according to the agenda, “sexually explicit photographs and videos in objection to the county’s pride month declaration.” The agenda says that these forms of speech are likely protected under the first amendment, as it is unlikely this speech constitutes as “obscene speech.” This may also trigger claims the county is violating first amendment rights on the grounds of differences in opinion.
Therefore, the agenda is recommending to regulate speech based on previously established time, place, and manner restrictions. The recommendation is to potentially prohibit the use of agency owned equipment during public comment items. The board may also consider requiring materials to be submitted 24 hours prior to the county for review, though this may once again lead to claims of first amendment violations due to differences of opinions. The board will decide on how they would like to proceed with this item, and could potentially do nothing and rely on staff to make determinations during meetings as to whether speech is protected.
The item has also amended a section of the rules of procedure, which would allow the chairperson to remove individuals who have been warned their actions and behavior are disruptive.
