In a live video recording of the city council meeting, Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes said: “We should go over this disruptions thing, because if we want to ban somebody in the future, like to take them out, we have to point out specifically…”
Mayor Kevin McCarty replied: “I know, but the city attorney said we can’t do that.”
Talamantes responded: “We did it last time.”
McCarty countered: “We can’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I spent my first six months going over this. I wanted to give people, like, probation, like, you can’t come…”
According to the recording, Talamantes later appeared to realize the microphone was still live and quickly reached over to switch it off before continuing the conversation.
Activists criticized the exchange, arguing that Talamantes seemed intent on silencing vocal opponents. Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum acknowledged the substance of the discussion but noted it was not intended for public consumption: “Karina said what she wanted to say to Kevin. I don’t think she’s walking away from her statement; it’s just something that wasn’t intended for everyone.”
David Loy, a member of the First Amendment Coalition, emphasized that public meetings are protected by the Brown Act and that anger or profanity during political discourse is within legal bounds: “As long as it does not rise to the level of a true threat to cause harm, but simply being angry and simply using profanity, while it may not be polite, that’s politics.”
Pluckebaum also addressed safety concerns, urging residents to engage with the council productively: “We’re doing what we can within the law, within the authority we’ve been given to provide the best protections that we can for the public and it’s not enough. I agree, but, you know, coming and yelling at us isn’t gonna make it any better.”
