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Moreno Valley holds Brown Act special meeting to enable State of the City; council clarifies access after public complaint
Summary
City leaders held an early special meeting to comply with the Brown Act ahead of the State of the City address, clarified that overflow rooms and livestreams are free to residents, and heard a critical public comment accusing the city of exclusion and poor leadership.
The Moreno Valley City Council met in a special Brown Act session on Aug. 21, 2025, to accommodate legal requirements for the State of the City address and to allow public comment on topics limited to the event. Mayor Ulysses Cabrera called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. and the council heard procedures and public-comments rules before recessing for the noon luncheon and reconvening for adjournment at the CRC after the address.
City Manager Brian Bohen told the council that the city attorney was not present because "there is no California Government Code or the Brown Act" requirement that counsel attend this meeting and because the agenda was limited to the State of the City and public comment; he said the likelihood that legal advice would be needed was low. Public comments were limited to three minutes per speaker and to topics listed on the special meeting agenda pursuant to California Government Code section 54954.3 (the Brown Act public‑comment rule).
During the public‑comment period, resident Roy Blecker sharply criticized the council and the event format. Blecker said the city was “a state of a dead city” and called council leadership “elitist,” questioned the meeting scheduling and access for residents, and said the community could not heal while current practices continued. The clerk closed public comment after Blecker’s remarks.
Council members and staff responded to questions about attendee access for the State of the City event. Mayor Pro Tem Elena Baca Santa Cruz and staff clarified that the ballroom program was ticketed and required an RSVP for the sold‑out ballroom, but that overflow rooms (Alessandro A and B) and the council chamber would carry a livestream and were free for residents. Staff said overflow rooms would include lunch service and that an on‑site bailiff could direct attendees to the overflow rooms if capacity required it. Staff also confirmed the address would be streamed on the city’s normal online platforms and replayed on the city’s MV3 cable access channel and posted to the city’s YouTube and Facebook pages.
The council recessed the special meeting for the State of the City address and stated it would reconvene at 11:30 a.m. in the Conference & Recreation Center and adjourn once the State of the City concluded.
The special meeting record shows the council limited public comment to meeting‑listed topics and took procedural steps to make the State of the City accessible through free overflow rooms and multiple broadcast platforms; a lone public speaker used his three minutes to urge deeper changes in city leadership and event accessibility.
