Alturas Municipal Code Art. V Disruption of Public Meetings

Footnotes:

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Editor's note— Ord. No. 501, adopted Aug. 21, 2014, set out provisions intended for use as Ch. 18, §§ 18-1—18-3. For purposes of classification, and at the editor's discretion, these provisions have been included as Art. V, §§ 2-41—2-43.

No person(s) or group(s) shall be allowed to disrupt a public meeting of the City Council of the City of Alturas, or any of the subagencies of the City Council of the City of Alturas.

(Ord. No. 501, 8-21-2014)

"Disrupt a public meeting" or "disruptive conduct" shall mean and include addressing the city council, or any of the subagencies of the city council, without first being recognized by the presiding person; not addressing the subject before the city council or subagency; repetitiously addressing the same subject; shouting at or threatening members of the city council or subagency, in a manner which makes it difficult or impossible to maintain decorum, or which places the member(s) of the city council, or subagency, in fear for their safety or of the safety of other persons in attendance at the meeting; failing to relinquish the "floor" when requested to do so; or otherwise preventing the city council, or subagency, from conducting its meeting in an orderly manner, as determined by the presiding person of the meeting, or by a majority of the members thereof.

"Sergeant at arms" for a public meeting shall mean the Chief of Police for the City of Alturas, or his designee, at any meeting of the city council, or subagency, and the department head assigned to attend any public meeting of the city council, or subagency.

"Willful disruption" of a public meeting shall mean persistent disruptive conduct, after a verbal warning has been issued by the presiding person; or conduct which is violent and which immediately jeopardizes the public health and safety.

(Ord. No. 501, 8-21-2014)

(a) In the event that any meeting of the city council, or subagency, is willfully disrupted by a person(s) or by a group(s) so as to render the orderly conduct of the meeting impossible, the presiding person at the meeting may recess the meeting or order the person(s) or group(s) willfully disrupting the meeting to leave the meeting or be removed from the meeting.

(b) In the event that a person(s) or group(s) violated the limits of permissible conduct during a public meeting in a manner determined by the presiding person to constitute disruptive conduct, the presiding person of the meeting may issue a verbal warning. If the disruptive person(s) or group(s) refuse to adhere to the direction of the presiding person, the presiding person may direct the sergeant at arms to remove the person(s) or group(s) from the meeting room for disturbing a public meeting.

(c) When the presiding person of a public meeting determines that unlawful disruption of the public meeting has occurred or is occurring, and when so requested by the sergeant at arms for the meeting, upon his/her confirmation that such disruption of the public meeting has occurred or is occurring, the law enforcement officer should approach the person(s) or group(s) and instruct the person(s) or group(s) to immediately leave the meeting room or be subject to arrest.

(d) Any person(s) or group(s) that is(are) requested to leave the meeting and does(do) so without being physically removed should not be arrested, so long as he/she does not return to that meeting and unless other unlawful conduct is involved. Any person(s) or group(s) which is (are) requested to leave the meeting and refuses to do so voluntarily, so that physical force is required to remove the person(s) or group(s) from the meeting, may be placed under arrest and charged with a violation of the appropriate section of the penal code.

(Ord. No. 501, 8-21-2014)