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Simi Valley council amends meeting rules, sets larger maximum sign size and clarifies speaker-card process
Summary
The City Council approved changes to its meeting protocol after public comment, dropping an 8.5-by-11 inch limit on signs and instead setting a maximum of 20-by-30 inches. The council also clarified when speaker cards must be submitted and added a standard verbal notice from the city clerk before public comment begins.
The Simi Valley City Council on Monday approved revisions to its public-comments and meeting-protocol rules, removing a proposed 8½-by-11-inch limit on public signs and replacing it with a maximum size of 20-by-30 inches. The council also directed the city clerk to announce before public statements begin that anyone still wishing to speak should submit a speaker card.
The changes came after more than a dozen residents criticized a draft rule they said would effectively silence public speakers and make it harder for attendees to make visible statements during public comment. Several speakers urged the council to keep sign sizes large enough to be legible across the dais.
The updated protocol also clarifies the timing for turning in speaker cards. The city clerk will now give a brief verbal reminder at the start of the public-statements period so late arrivals know they must submit cards at that moment to be counted in the speaker order.
"To get a message across to our city council on all that's happening on the agenda in Simi in in 3 minutes is tough enough challenge," said John Lapper, a resident who testified during the public-statements period. "Frankly, 2 minutes is a minuscule amount of time for you to hear our concerns," he added, referring to earlier drafts that limited total meeting time for public statements.
Councilmember Lisa Litzler, who led much of the council discussion on the item, said she supported removing the small-paper limit because she wants to be able to read signs. "My eyesight's so bad. I'm wearing glasses these days," Litzler said during the debate.
Mayor Kavanaugh and other council members stressed the change was intended to strike a balance between preserving public expression and preventing signs from obstructing the view of other attendees. Under the new language, staff may ask speakers to reposition a sign that blocks another attendee's view.
The council approved the amended item as part of consent-business discussion. Councilmember Rhodes moved the change and Councilmember Letzler seconded; the motion passed unanimously.
What changed - Replaced a proposed size limit of 8½-by-11 inches with a maximum sign size of 20-by-30 inches. - Added a requirement that the city clerk verbally announce, before public statements begin, that any remaining speaker cards should be submitted at that moment. - Removed a previous 45-minute overall cap on public statements, preserving the council's existing practice of calling speakers in the order received and managing time based on the number of speakers.
The revised meeting protocol will take effect for upcoming council meetings; staff will incorporate the new language into the formal meeting-protocol document and the city clerk's opening remarks.
Notes for readers: The sign-size change was made to respond to resident concerns that an 8½-by-11 limit would be too small to be legible from the dais. The new 20-by-30 maximum was adopted to give residents room to display readable messages while allowing staff to manage sightlines in the chamber.
