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CITY ATTORNEY <br />Sonia R. Carvalho <br />CITY MANAGER <br />Alvaro Nuñez <br />CITY CLERK <br />Jennifer L. Hall <br />20 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA - P.O. BOX 1988, M31 - SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92702 <br />TELEPHONE (714) 647-6900 - FAX (714) 647-6954 - www.santa-ana.org <br />Councilmember-Requested Item Report <br />DATE <br />September 17, 2024 <br />TOPIC <br />Withdrawal of “Guidelines for filming, photography and recording of City of Santa Ana <br />public meetings” media policy <br /> <br />COUNCILMEMBER-REQUESTED ITEM TITLE <br />Discuss and Consider Directing the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk to <br />Rescind the “Guidelines for filming, photography and recording of City of Santa Ana <br />public meetings” Media Policy <br /> <br />DISCUSSION <br />In early December 2023, a new policy on “Filming, photography and recording at City of <br />Santa Ana public meetings” was implemented, heavily restricting the movement of <br />photojournalists in the City Council chambers during public Council meetings. The <br />policy was not brought forth for public discussion before being drafted or adopted. Later <br />that month, the First Amendment Coalition (FAC) sent a letter to the City of Santa Ana <br />objecting to the new policy, co-signed by the Orange County Press Club, Voice of <br />Orange County, Los Angeles Press Club, Los Angeles Chapter of the Society of <br />Professional Journalists, and the Industrial Workers of the World Freelance Journalists <br />Union. In their letter, the FAC and its numerous co-signers argued that the policy <br />“violates the Ralph M. Brown Act and threatens the ability of the press to exercise <br />editorial discretion in covering public meetings,” urging the City to “immediately <br />withdraw the policy and commit to adhering to the Brown Act and respecting press <br />rights.”1 <br /> <br />The City Attorney responded to FAC’s letter by promising revisions to the policy.2 In <br />February 2024, a revised policy – “Guidelines for filming, photography and recording of <br />City of Santa Ana public meetings” – was released.3 The revised media policy still <br />heavily restricts the movement of photojournalists during public City Council meetings. It <br />continues to require that individuals using “large” photography and recording equipment <br />conduct their work only in “designated areas that are marked with red tape,” which are <br />1 “FAC, News Groups Protest Santa Ana’s Public Meeting Photography and Recording Policy,” First Amendment Coalition, Dec. <br />22, 2023. firstamendmentcoalition.org/2023/12/fac-news-groups-protest-santa-anas-public-meeting-photography-and- <br />recording-policy/ <br />2 Ibid. <br />3 City of Santa Ana, Office of the City Manager, “Guidelines for filming, photography and recording of City of Santa Ana public <br />meetings,” Feb. 20, 2024.