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Residents at Galt council meeting press for clarity after police respond to political chalking
Summary
Several residents told the council they felt a city chalking/graffiti ordinance was being selectively enforced against political messages. Speakers asked the council to clarify rules; staff said the municipal graffiti ordinance includes chalk on public right‑of‑way and offered to return with explicit clarification for the public.
Multiple residents used the City Council’s public comment period on June 16 to complain that a recent enforcement response to political chalking near City Hall amounted to selective enforcement and chilled speech.
Matthew Adams, a resident and candidate for Assembly District 9, asked the council to clarify the graffiti ordinance to ensure consistent treatment of expression after a June 7 incident in which officers told chalking participants they were creating graffiti. Kelly Hokanson described a nine‑minute encounter with an officer she said began when a council member complained; she said the officer told her he would have to arrest a persistent minor and that the interaction felt like censorship of dissenting viewpoints.
Council members and staff responded that the city’s municipal code defines graffiti to include chalking on public right‑of‑way. Councilmember Farmer and others said they would schedule a future public discussion to explain the municipal code and how it is enforced, and staff confirmed that police acted under the existing code in the reported incident. Several speakers asked for clearer guidance to prevent perceived selective enforcement and to protect free‑speech rights in public places.
The council did not take formal action but agreed to follow up with a public agenda item clarifying the ordinance and enforcement practices.
