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From:Clara Jaeckel <br />To:publiccomment; GRP-City Council <br />Subject:public comment for 9/9/2024 item 9A <br />Date:Monday, September 9, 2024 1:00:02 AM <br />Comment for agenda item 9A: <br />I'm writing to ask you to reopen virtual spoken public comment at city council meetings over <br />Zoom. Virtual attendance is more accessible for many people than physical attendance, for <br />reasons including health and disabilities, job schedules, childcare, and transportation. Yet <br />people attending over Zoom are at a disadvantage by not being able to make spoken <br />comments. <br />I very much appreciate the efforts of the city clerk in reading comments aloud, but it's <br />impossible for someone else's reading to have the same impact as expressing ourselves in our <br />own voices. It also precludes us from adjusting what we say based on the live staff <br />presentations or previous speakers, or making meaningful abbreviations if the time per <br />comment is shortened or just running out. And the large number of comments cut off <br />midsentence over the last several months shows that it's quite difficult to anticipate how long <br />someone else's reading will take. <br />For comparison, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has been allowing spoken <br />comments over Zoom at board meetings and has not had the type of disruptions cited as the <br />reason for the city's current policy. So I urge you to follow the county's lead and restore virtual <br />spoken comments for the most diverse and accessible public participation. Thank you.