Restore Virtual Public Comment ASAP

Take 30 seconds to use the form below to tell the City Council: Immediately restore virtual public comment!

Use the form below to automatically ask the entire San Jose City Council to rise to the challenge rather than cave to bullies intent on stifling the input of disadvantaged communities. The City needs to immediately restore virtual public comment for all City Council, Committee, and Commission meetings.

It is clear there is an effort to silence members of disadvantaged communities. Many residents rely on being able to provide virtual public comment due to reasons of disability, health, work schedules, parenting and other demands of modern life. The strategy appears to be to engage in racist and hateful speech in order to bully the Council into eliminating virtual public comment. The bullies scored a victory when the Council decided to eliminate this option without first seeking community input and not at the bequest from community members.

By eliminating remote access on the heels of restricting access to the council chambers in December, San José has fallen from a model of good government dedicated to promoting civic participation to a city displaying troubling behavior and giving the impression that hearing from its residents is a bother.

It is true that the comments of a few bad actors are vile and have no place in a community meeting. Rather than using racist and hateful speech as an excuse to cut off community participation and hamper people’s First Amendment right to petition their government, however, the City should rise to the challenge of finding solutions to preserve access for everyone while continuing to facilitate public comment by providing a virtual option.

Ending the process of remote participation, is to deny a large segment of the community the opportunity to participate in our democratic process. Some examples include:
— Disabled residents who rely on technology to speak, or who otherwise have to arrange rides with Paratransit.
— Immunocompromised residents who take on unnecessary risks to their health by spending hours in a packed room.
— Working people without the ability to arrange their schedules around hours-long council meetings.
— Parents with small children who can’t take time off to attend City meetings.

For example, budget season is the most critical time of year for civic engagement. The ban on remote comments means the people most in need of an equitable city budget will be sidelined throughout the process.

The possibility that the ban on remote comments might only last months is no comfort to those who wish to comment on current City Council, Committee and Commission matters in order to ensure that quality of life in San Jose is maximized.

Take 30 seconds to tell the City Council to immediately restore virtual public comment to ensure that the Council and the City once again benefit from the voices silenced by the Council’s recent decision.. You will be able to add a personal comment. You will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please submit the form again in case your email address had a typo.

    YOUR INFORMATION

    1. Required: Your First and Last Name

    2. Required: Your Email Address

    3. Required: Your Street or Cross Street. Do not list your City. Do not list your State.

    4. Required: Your Zip Code

    5. Required:

    6. Optional: Please list any additional comments you'd like included as the second paragraph of your online petition.

    TEXT OF YOUR EMAIL TO THE CITY COUNCIL

    Dear Mayor Mahan and San José City Council,

    I ask you to rise to the challenge rather than cave to bullies intent on stifling the input of disadvantaged communities. The City needs to immediately restore virtual public comment for all City Council, Committee, and Commission meetings.

    It is clear there is an effort to silence members of disadvantaged communities. Many residents rely on being able to provide virtual public comment due to reasons of disability, health, work schedules, parenting and other demands of modern life. The strategy appears to be to engage in racist and hateful speech in order to bully the Council into eliminating virtual public comment. The bullies scored a victory when the Council decided to eliminate this option without first seeking community input and not at the bequest from community members.

    By eliminating remote access on the heels of restricting access to the council chambers in December, San José has fallen from a model of good government dedicated to promoting civic participation to a city displaying troubling behavior and giving the impression that hearing from its residents is a bother.

    We agree that the comments of a few bad actors are vile and have no place in a community meeting. Rather than using racist and hateful speech as an excuse to cut off community participation and hamper people’s First Amendment right to petition their government, however, the City should rise to the challenge of finding solutions to preserve access for everyone while continuing to facilitate public comment by providing a virtual option.

    Ending the process of remote participation, is to deny a large segment of the community the opportunity to participate in our democratic process. Some examples include:
    — Disabled residents who rely on technology to speak, or who otherwise have to arrange rides with Paratransit.
    — Immunocompromised residents who take on unnecessary risks to their health by spending hours in a packed room.
    — Working people without the ability to arrange their schedules around hours-long council meetings.
    — Parents with small children who can’t take time off to attend City meetings.

    For example, budget season is the most critical time of year for civic engagement. The ban on remote comments means the people most in need of an equitable city budget will be sidelined throughout the process.

    The possibility that the ban on remote comments might only last months is no comfort to those who wish to comment on current City Council, Committee and Commission matters in order to ensure that quality of life in San Jose is maximized. I ask that you immediately restore virtual public comment to ensure that you and the City once again benefit from the voices silenced by your recent decision.

    [your-message]

    [your-name]
    [your-zip]

    You may not use my contact information for any purpose other than to respond to my concern regarding the topic listed above, nor may you share my address with any other organization(s) or individual(s).

    —
    This mail was sent on behalf of a San Jose resident via District 5 United
    https://www.district5united.org
    Community Working Together