'Zoombombing' temporarily halts Council's remote public comments

Remote public comments at Orinda City Council meetings conducted on the Zoom video conferencing application have been temporarily suspended starting with the meeting on Nov. 7. According to an announcement by Orinda City Clerk Sheri Smith, this is due to an increase in "Zoombombing" at public agency meetings; Zoombombing includes offensive and derogatory statements. City staff asked the City Council to ratify this decision by City Manager David Biggs at the Nov. 7 meeting and to plan to revisit the discontinuance prior to March, 2024. (That meeting occurred after press time, so we were unable to include the results here.)

The public is invited to present comments to the council in person at their meetings or in writing prior to a meeting. Written communications received prior to 3 p.m. on the day of the meeting are forwarded to the city council and posted on the city's website prior to the meeting. Emails can be sent to ssmith@cityoforinda.org or cityclerk@cityoforinda.org

Although there have been no such incidents in Orinda, Biggs was concerned that other cities in the Bay Area and Contra Costa County have been subject to remote comments that contained offensive and derogatory statements targeting persons of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and various religious faiths. According to Bigg's staff report, "These comments are made by people appearing remotely and anonymously using fictitious names," and "have often been expletive laden or obscene in nature."

City Council meetings can still be viewed online as listed on the agenda either via Zoom Webinar and on YouTube.



		print story Before you print this article, please remember that it will remain in our archive for you to visit anytime. download pdf (use the pdf document for best printing results!)
		Comments
		Send your comment to: info@lamorindaweekly.com Reach the reporter at: sora@lamorindaweekly.com

		This article was published on Page 6:

Quick Links for LamorindaWeekly.com
Home Archive Advertise send artwork to: ads@lamorindaweekly.com Classified ads Lamorinda Service Directory About us and How to Contact us Submit Letter to the Editor Send stories or ideas to: storydesk@lamorindaweekly.com Send sports stories and photos to: sportsdesk@lamorindaweekly.com Subscribe to receive a delivered or mailed copy Subscribe to receive storylinks by email	Content Civic Lafayette Moraga Orinda MOFD Life Sports Schools Business Food Our Homes Letters/Opinions Calendar
Copyright Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA