Hemet council tightens public‑comment rules; some residents call changes censorship

The Hemet City Council on April 14 adopted amendments to its rules of decorum that allow the presiding officer to reduce individual public‑comment times when large numbers of speakers are present and to set a total time limit for comment on a single agenda item.

City Attorney staff framed the change as a lawful, content‑neutral way to balance public input with the council’s duty to conduct city business. "Under the Brown Act, the public absolutely has a right to comment on any item, but that is not an unlimited right," the city attorney said, explaining the staff proposal would preserve the default three‑minute allotment while allowing the mayor to shorten time if 15 or more speakers sign up or to cap total comment time for an item.

Resident Connie Coronado told the council she viewed the proposed limits as a threat to public confidence and cautioned that an hour cap on a "hot topic" could stifle voices. "I perceive with this resolution change that if one votes yes to it, they are voting yes to stifling the public from speaking out," Coronado said. Council members answered that the changes leave three minutes as the default and are intended to prevent repetitive testimony while guaranteeing a fair chance to be heard.

The adopted amendments also prohibit pooling or yielding time to other speakers and explicitly permit the mayor to require a balanced order of speakers (for example, alternating pro and con) and to set a total-comment window to ensure meetings conclude in a reasonable time. Staff noted the changes were prompted in part by the state’s SB 707 requirements on two‑way audiovisual participation and by recent long meetings in which public-comment periods extended late into the night.

Council passed the changes by unanimous roll call. Mayor Pro Tem Mailes and other council members said the proposal strikes a balance between robust public participation and efficient municipal operations.