From:
To: City Council
Subject: Press Policy
Date: Sunday, March 2, 2025 8:43:14 AM
City Council Members,
As a resident of Sebastopol I am deeply concerned regarding the proposed press policy and the city's treatment of the press. The proposal is a blatant attempt to consolidate and control the flow of information by those in charge. While the Mayor has defended this as a way to provide clear messaging, what it really allows for is those with the most power to determine what the "narrative" is around a given topics, and the power to obfuscate information regarding the city government. This city council serves us, the Sebastopol Residents, and to that end information regarding the operations of the council and government should not be curtailed in any way for any reason. The press is our watchdog to keep us informed and an infringement on that is a direct attack on democracy. To quote Thomas Jefferson "Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost". Especially in these troubling times, for the city council to treat the press and flow of information in such a way is an even bigger affront to my values and the values I believe the residents of the city hold. I strongly urge this proposed policy be struck down and any "informal" policies around curtailment of the press to be abandoned immediately.
Thank you,
Brian Jaye