City to Weigh Rule Governing Conduct in Council Foyer
The city is considering an ordinance that would prohibit electioneering and disruptive conduct in the foyer outside City Council chambers while meetings are in progress.
Before the November 1996 election, some candidates passed out campaign literature and made their pitches in the lobby while the council was in session, officials said. Arguments ensued and disrupted proceedings within the chamber.
That inspired the move to regulate conduct in the foyer, Mayor John J. Collins said. “It’s to allow the council to conduct its meeting without disruption.”
Rules of conduct inside chambers already are in place.
The new ordinance would bar anyone from acting disruptively or campaigning in the foyer during a meeting and five minutes before and after it.
Violators would be asked to quiet down or leave.
The city attorney’s office, in its staff report, stated that the new law would not violate free-speech guarantees because government’s right to conduct its business also is protected.
Also, anyone else wishing to address the council can speak about any topic--including a campaign--during council meetings’ specified public comments periods.
The City Council will debate the new law and other topics at 7 p.m. today in council chambers, 10200 Slater Ave.
Information: (714) 963-8321. --JOHN CANALIS
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