Commission hears draft social‑media policy for elected officials; staff to bring formal resolution

City staff presented a draft social‑media policy aimed at clarifying how elected officials use city seals, official accounts, and private/campaign pages and at reducing legal exposure related to public‑forum, public‑records and First Amendment questions.

Ben Hogarth (S10) of the city manager’s office said the draft draws on best practices and on cases that have made private social pages into limited public forums when officials use them for public messaging. The draft distinguishes personal accounts, campaign accounts and official individual accounts and offers guidance on when reposts or use of the city seal are permissible. City Attorney (S11) warned that an official’s public page may be subject to sunshine and public‑records laws if it functions as a public forum and that government‑issued IDs and record retention implications should be considered.

Commissioners asked for clearer drafting to ensure the policy applies uniformly to mayor, vice mayor and commissioners, to clarify emergency‑messaging authority (identified as mayor and city manager/designee), and to address how staff uniform/seal use intersects with the policy. Vice Mayor Alex Lama (S8) asked about blocking and removal of threatening comments on official pages; the city attorney said the policy includes guidance and opportunities for consulting the attorney’s office.

Direction: staff will prepare a resolution and a redlined draft for formal consideration in February. Commissioners signaled they want a policy that protects First Amendment rights while providing consistent record‑keeping and operational guidance for official accounts.