Residents urge Modesto council to agendize and repeal mask ordinance, cite First Amendment and ACLU threat

Dozens of Modesto residents used the City Council's Oct. 28 public-comment period to press elected officials to agendize and repeal a municipal ordinance that bans masks at protests, arguing the rule infringes on First Amendment rights and risks an ACLU lawsuit.

Speakers at the meeting repeatedly asked the council and city manager to place the measure on the next council agenda for a vote, saying the ordinance has been enforced selectively and that state law already criminalizes wearing a mask while committing a crime. "For that reason, I'm asking you to keep the mask mandate in place," said Teresa Gamboa, a neighborhood-watch coordinator who later urged council to maintain the rule for safety. Several other speakers said the opposite: "Please do not repeal the mask mandate," said Lisa Carlson, while Suzanne Gonzales asked the council to "put this on the agenda and then repeal the mask mandate." Ryan Hall, identified at the meeting as director of communications for…