The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is considering new rules when it comes to community members showing media at their public meetings. This comes after some graphic images were displayed this week.
The troublesome images came from some community members against a Pride Month declaration by the county. They included videos of naked people at pride parades and pictures of what they described as children undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
Supervisor Jimmy Paulding said although the Board has heard offensive comments in the past, they have never dealt with videos showing obscene material. He said it prompted conversations between the board and legal counsel about what can be shown at the meetings.
“We want people to have the right to speak freely and share their opinion on matters that are on our agenda and within our subject matter jurisdiction. On the other hand, we need to protect the public interest,” Paulding said.
Paulding said they discussed possibly removing the option to show videos during public comment or pre-screening materials before the meeting.
He said the county’s legal team is deciding when the proposed policy changes can be brought back to the Board for action.
This piece was produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.
