Public participation was allowed at the Aug.4 City Council meeting — but a citizen speaker tore off his mask at the microphone as he addressed the panel.
The Council allowed in-person public participation at the meeting for the first time since the pandemic set in, asking would-be speakers to wear a face covering in the chambers and line up outside, staying 6 feet apart, until their names were called. They were allowed to then enter one-by-one. One man pulled off his mask as he addressed the Council, pleading with it not to enforce mandatory mask compliance.
Face coverings are required in California in most public spaces.
A Council majority voted to approve a mechanism that will set the fine for any administrative violation of the municipal code. That means mask-wearing in public could be enforced with a citation — but the city says that will only occur after violators have been warned and asked to comply. — Leslie Layton and Karen Laslo