Agda Pkt 2024.09.09 Regular Meeting

Browse Search

Page 2 of 3 City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org Shortly after the Sub-Committee heard the item, agencies across the region and state began experiencing egregious disruptions to their public meetings, particularly meetings offered in a virtual format. To ensure the City’s continued ability to conduct business in a manner that allows all residents to participate, on September 29, 2023 Mayor Jeff Gee temporarily suspended public comment via Zoom. As a result, members of the public are invited to either provide comment in person at the physical meeting location or via email in advance of the meeting. As “Zoom bombing” continues to take place in nearby jurisdictions, the City continues to monitor its public meeting procedures, and the Guide has again been updated with amendments related to public comment. ANALYSIS In light of the regional and statewide disruptions and resulting modifications to the City’s public comment procedures, staff recommends further revisions to the Guide to refer members of the public to the published agenda for instructions on how to participate remotely and how to provide public comment in- person or via email in advance of the meeting. Governance Sub-Committee Consideration and Recommendation At their meeting on May 13, 2024, staff presented the additional recommendations to the City Council’s Governance Sub-Committee (Mayor Gee, Vice Mayor Espinoza-Garnica, and Councilmember Martinez Saballos) and after discussion, the Sub-Committee voted unanimously to recommend the further-revised Guide for City Council consideration and adoption. Attachment A includes all edits that the Sub- Committee supported during the September 19, 2023 meeting as well as the additional revisions supported at the May 13, 2024 meeting. EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT Equity and/or inclusion was considered in development or implementation of item through the following: Prior to introducing virtual public comment in March 2020 following the declaration of a local state of emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals who wanted to provide public comment were required to appear in-person at the meeting. After the local emergency order was lifted in early 2023, the City maintained a virtual public comment option as a means of being more inclusive and accessible to all community members, whether they were unable to or uncomfortable with attending meetings in-person. Staff believes maintaining an option for providing comment that does not require in- person attendance is important for achieving inclusive public meetings. 9.A. - Page 2 of 19 139