Local students and residents urge San Ramon to restore moderated Zoom public comment rather than ban it

A group of residents at Tuesday's public comment urged the San Ramon City Council to restore the ability to speak during meetings via Zoom with active moderation rather than eliminate remote spoken public comment.

Manyatha Srikantam, a high-school junior, told the council that banning Zoom comments is "not an appropriate preventative measure" and urged the council to try aggressive moderation before removing remote participation. "The point of hate speech is to create fear that silences minority voices," she said, adding that removal and moderation tools can stop disruptive participants while preserving access for working families, people with childcare responsibilities and older residents who cannot travel.

Other speakers backed wider virtual access. Ravi Hoskote said remote commenting "is inclusion" and that many residents who cannot easily attend in person would engage if allowed to comment virtually. Several speakers urged the city to place the issue on a future agenda so the council can explore moderated options and safeguards consistent with the Brown Act.

Council members asked staff to draft a memo on the city's options and legal limits for remote public comment, noting the Brown Act's constraints and recent examples in neighboring cities. City staff said they will prepare a memo and, if desired by the council, present it at a future meeting for formal discussion.