City of Suisun City
Social Media Policy
CITY SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Social Media Policy is to establish guidelines on the use, management, and operation of social media sites by the City of Suisun City (“City”) as a means of communicating information to the public. In addition, this Social Media Policy prescribes the City’s Terms of Use applicable to all users of the City’s social media sites.
This policy does not intend to prohibit or infringe upon any communication, speech, or expression that is protected or privileged under law. This includes speech and expression protected under state or federal constitutions, as well as other applicable laws.
SCOPE
This policy applies to all City employees, elected and appointed City Officials, contractors, and any other representatives acting on behalf of the City or any of its Departments and Divisions. This policy also applies to the public’s use of City Social Media Accounts.
DEFINITIONS
Authorized User: An individual whom the City Manager or Designee has authorized to use Social Media in an official capacity for City business.
City: The City of Suisun City, California.
City Official: An elected or appointed representative who serves on a legislative or advisory body of the City, i.e., City Council members or Commissioners. Members of a committee or task force are not considered City Officials.
City Social Media Account: Any account on a Social Media site that the City establishes and maintains, and over which it has control over all postings, except for advertisements or hyperlinks by the Social Media site’s owner, vendors, or partners. City Social Media Accounts do not include the personal Social Media sites of any City official or employee of the City.
Comment: A user-submitted response to post(s) by an Authorized User or public user of the Social Media site.
Designee: A person whom the City Manager has designated to perform some duty or carry out a role specific to Social Media.
Emergency: A condition arising from unforeseen circumstances that creates an immediate danger to public property, health, peace, or safety within the City.
Moderator: An employee designated by their respective department director for maintaining one or more social media sites on behalf of that department. A Moderator’s responsibilities may include, but are not limited to: adding, editing, and reviewing posts, as well as reviewing, flagging, and possibly removing comments in accordance with established policies and/or law.
Post(s): Information, texts, articles, images, videos, or any other form of content published on a Social Media site, including links to and re-posting of content that may also be viewable elsewhere on the Internet.
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Social Media: Content created by individuals using accessible and scalable technologies through and on the Internet. Social Media websites facilitate interaction and engagement among individuals in a network or virtual community. Examples of Social Media include, but are not limited to, NextDoor, Pinterest, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Flickr, TikTok, and Instagram.
GENERAL POLICY
The City’s official website at [INSERT WEBSITE] is the City’s primary source and means of internet communication. To the extent possible, a link to the City’s official website shall be included on any City Social Media Account.
Information posted by the City on City Social Media Accounts will supplement, not replace, required notices and standard communication methods.
While the City will work to engage with the community via Social Media, notices or requests for City services must be made through official communication methods identified on the City’s website or by traditional notification methods recognized by the City. No comments or posts on the City's Social Media Accounts will be construed as providing notice to the City of any claim, deficiency, dangerous condition, request, or otherwise.
City Social Media Accounts must adhere to applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies.
The City reserves the right to terminate any City Social Media Account at any time without notice.
ACCOUNT AND ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT
a. Content Management
i. Content posted on City Social Media Accounts must be reviewed and approved by the City Manager or Designee.
ii. The City Manager or Designee will monitor content on City Social Media Accounts and may edit or remove posts to ensure they align with this policy, support the City’s goals, and comply with applicable laws.
iii. City Social Media Accounts may contain content, including but not limited to advertisements or hyperlinks, over which the City has no control. The City does not endorse any hyperlink or advertisement placed on City Social Media Accounts by the Social Media site’s owners, vendors, or partners, or by public commenters.
b. City Social Media Account Creation
i. The City Manager or Designee is responsible for determining who is an Authorized User.
ii. City departments and representatives who want to create a social media account on the City’s behalf must submit a written request to the City Manager for approval. The City Manager or Designee shall review all submitted requests and approve or deny the request.
iii. City representatives must obtain written approval from the City Manager or Designee prior to creating a social media site on the City’s behalf. 427
iv. All Official Social Media Accounts shall utilize City contact information for account set- up, monitoring, and access.
v. All City Social Media Accounts must display the City’s official name, seal, or logo. vi. All City login, user, and password information for City Social Media Accounts must be provided to the City Manager. The Authorized User must immediately provide updated login information to the City Manager or Designee if it is changed for any reason. The City shall maintain a list of all City Social Media Accounts, including login and password information, to allow for the immediate removal of any content posted to a City Social Media Account in violation of or inconsistent with this Social Media Policy. To protect City Social Media Accounts from misuse and misappropriation, the City shall take all reasonable steps to prevent the disclosure of login and password for all City Social Media Accounts to the greatest extent permitted under applicable law. vii. City Social Media Accounts are only allowed on sites that provide a mechanism for the City to remove posts that violate City policy.
viii. Wherever possible, City Social Media Accounts should include links back to the City’s official website for forms, documents, online services and other information necessary to conduct business with the City.
c. Cybersecurity and Account Protection
i. All City Social Media Accounts must use strong, unique passwords that are updated regularly.
ii. Two-factor authentication must be enabled on all platforms where available. iii. Access to accounts will be immediately revoked upon employee departure or role change.
iv. Administrators must report any security breaches to the City Manager or Designee immediately.
d. Employee Training. Authorized Users and their supervisors must complete mandatory training on this Policy, platform best practices, and content accessibility.
e. Accessibility
i. Social Media content must meet ADA compliance requirements to ensure it is accessible to all members of the community.
ii. All posts by Authorized Users to City Social Media Accounts must comply with accessibility guidelines, including but not limited to adding alt text for images, providing captions for video content, and using plain language to ensure readability.
CONTENT GUIDELINES
a. Content Ownership and Permission
i. The City shall have full permission or rights to any content posted by the City on its Social Media Accounts, including photographs and videos. ii. City Social Media Accounts may only share or repost content from City partners. The City must have full permission or rights to all content posted on City Social Media Accounts.
The City shall post no photos, images, graphics, video, music, or other creative content that is licensed or copyrighted unless proper permissions or rights have been granted. 428
b. Type of Content. The content posted on City Social Media Accounts shall only pertain to City- sponsored or City-endorsed programs, services, and events. Content includes, but is not limited to, information, photographs, videos, and hyperlinks.
c. Posting Content
i. City Officials, employees, and agents of the City, on City Social Media Accounts, will conduct themselves professionally and in accordance with all City policies. ii. Authorized Users represent the City when using City Social Media Accounts and must conduct themselves as a representative of the City and in accordance with all City policies.
iii. Authorized Users shall not express personal views or concerns on City Social Media Accounts. All posts must reflect the City’s official position. iv. Authorized Users must review and comply with the Social Media platform’s terms and conditions of use.
v. During times not scheduled to work, Authorized Users who are hourly employees shall not post onto the City’s Social Media Accounts without express permission from their supervisor or department head. Time spent by the employee outside business hours shall be noted on the employee’s time sheet.
d. Prohibited Content. Posts on City Social Media Accounts must NOT include:
i. Comments unrelated to the original post or discussion; ii. Support for or opposition to political campaigns, candidates, or ballot measures; iii. Profane, discriminatory, or offensive language or content; iv. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination based on protected categories (e.g., race, color, age, religion, disability, national origin) v. Content that threatens or defames any person or organization; vi. Sexual or obscene content or links to sexual or obscene content; vii. Solicitations or advertisements for commercial products or services; viii. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
ix. Content that incites violence;
x. Information that could compromise public safety or the security of public systems; xi. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party, such as trademark or copyright infringement;
xii. Defamatory statements;
xiii. Threats to any person or organization;
xiv. Disclosure of confidential, sensitive, or proprietary information, or that violates another person’s right to privacy;
xv. Images or video of a minor without the consent of the minor’s parents. xvi. Content that violates any federal, state, or local law. e. Responses to Comments
i. Authorized Users shall use their best judgment in deciding whether to respond to a post or comment and shall avoid engaging any user in an argumentative or offensive manner.
ii. Any response by an Authorized User made on behalf of the City shall comply with all terms of this policy.
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iii. Content in any post or response made on behalf of the City shall not specifically refer to any City vendor, supplier, member, contractor, employee, or official without the approval of the City Manager.
f. Monitoring Content and Comments
i. The City reserves the right to add, remove, or adjust social media content and features as needed.
ii. Authorized Users shall not block certain members of the public from accessing content posted to the City’s Social Media Account’s, or from interacting with the City’s Social Media Accounts in the same way other members of the public are permitted. iii. No Post, Comment, or other content shall be removed solely because it is critical of the City, City Officials, employees, or programs, or because City Staff disagrees with the viewpoint of the Comment, content, or submittal.
iv. Authorized Users shall not delete comments made on any City Social Media Account post unless the comment violates this Policy or the Social Media platform’s terms and conditions.
v. Any content removed based on these guidelines must be retained, logged, including the time, date, and poster’s identity (when available).
vi. On social media networks where the feature is available, a “strong” profanity filter should be enabled to prohibit comments and posts with profanity automatically.
PUBLIC ACCESS AND RECORD RETENTION
All City Social Media Accounts are subject to the California Public Records Act and, therefore, may be subject to public disclosure. This includes comments and other posts made by third parties on City Social Media Accounts, which may also be considered public records subject to disclosure. The City will maintain content on its Social Media Accounts pursuant to the City’s records retention policy. Further, City Social Media Accounts shall be managed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and the Public Records Act.
The City must maintain a record of City Social Media Accounts, including, but not limited to:
a. A log file containing the name of the Social Media platform, City Social Media Account identification, passwords, registered email addresses, dates established, authorizing representative, and the name of the person who created the City Social Media Account; and
b. A record of the Social Media platform’s usage agreement at the time the City Social Media Account was created and any updated versions; and
c. A list of Authorized Users; and
d. Any content removed based on this Policy must be retained, including the time, date, and identity of the poster, when available, for two years or such other period as required by the City records retention policy, provided that the City may remove content which violates this policy even if there is no reasonably practical means to retain that information.
USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY CITY OFFICIALS
The City does not create or provide support for individual Social Media accounts for City Officials. City Officials who maintain personal social and other digital media accounts should be aware that, similar to City emails or any other written or recorded communication related to the official conduct of City business, 430
digital communications, Social Media Posts and messages by City Officials regarding matters that are before the City for action or within City jurisdiction can be “official city business” subject to laws and policies regarding freedom of speech, records retention and production, and public transparency. Those laws and policies include but are not necessarily limited to: the California and United States Constitution, the California Public Records Act, the Ralph M. Brown Act, and the City’s records retention regulations.
City Officials participating in digital or social media communications shall maintain separate accounts for official and personal/campaign statements, clearly delineating them, and take precautions to ensure that personal/campaign communications are not conveyed in a manner that suggests they represent the position of the City or its Legislative Body as a whole.
To avoid ambiguity, all statements, headings, profile pictures, or biographies on personal or campaign accounts shall:
Not be made in the name of the position to which the City Official was elected or appointed; Clearly reflect that content on such accounts does not represent the official positions of the City or its Legislative Body;
Not display the City logo or any other official City mark or title.
Councilmembers who choose to have a social media page or profile that identifies their office must include the disclaimer: “Content on this site does not represent any official position of the City of Suisun City, only that of [NAME] in (HIS/HER) personal capacity.”
City Officials are prohibited from using the City logo or seal, or any variation of the City logo or seal, representing the City, or representing that they speak on behalf of the City, within their official or personal Social Media accounts or sites.
City Officials should not use their City email address or password in conjunction with a personal or professional Social Media profile or page.
City Officials are not authorized to use official City-owned headshot photographs on personal Social Media sites.
Digital records relating to public business must be handled in a manner that maintains the records for the applicable retention period, including through the use of highlights, bins, or archives for temporary and disappearing stories, reels, posts, or other content. Likewise, City Officials should avoid deleting Comments and should not block individuals on a City Official’s pages or sites. Social Media content should be treated the same as any written document and retained in accordance with the City's retention schedules.
To avoid any violations of the Brown Act, consistent with the update provided by AB 992, City Officials are permitted to use a Social Media site to engage in conversations or communications on matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the governing body:
To answer questions;
To provide information to the public; and
To solicit information from the public.
However, the Brown Act prohibits a City Official from communicating directly with the Social Media of any other member on a subject within the jurisdiction of that Legislative Body. A majority of City Officials may 431
not use social media to "discuss among themselves" official business. The Brown Act broadly defines the meaning of "discuss among themselves" to include any "communications made, posted, or shared on an Internet-based social media network between members of a Legislative Body, including Comments or use of digital icons that express reactions to communications made by other members of the Legislative Body." Importantly, a violation still occurs even if fewer than a majority of the body's members directly communicate on social media.
City Officials should be cognizant that the posting of content, including simply “liking” or reacting to a post from another official, regarding City-related matters by a public official, could constitute a Brown Act violation.
City Officials must refrain from using the City's Social Media Accounts or any form of electronic communication to respond to, engage in, or conduct serial meetings, or otherwise discuss, deliberate, or express opinions on any issue within the body's subject matter jurisdiction without complying with the Brown Act.
City Officials should be honest and accurate when posting information or news, especially when communicating during a crisis or emergency. Any mistakes, misstatements, and/or factual errors must be corrected quickly upon discovery. City Officials should not post or share information known to be false or rumors about the City, its employees, constituents, officials, suppliers, vendors, contractors, or any other entities or individuals.
When possible, news of citywide importance should first be announced through the City's Social Media Accounts, including the City’s website. This information can then be shared by City Officials, linking back to the original Post or official City website, when possible.
City Officials should never represent themselves as spokesperson for the City administration, any City department, the City Council, or a City board or committee, unless the City Official has been designated to serve as a spokesperson.
City Officials are prohibited from using Social Media to engage in any activity that constitutes a conflict of interest.
City Officials are strongly encouraged to consider the potential impact of Social Media statements prior to posting.
City Officials are expected and required to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the City’s policies and standards of conduct.
Using social media in a way that disrupts or hinders the mission and functions of the commission, board, council, department, or City is prohibited.
In summary,
City Officials may:
Use Social Media in the City Official’s capacity to communicate with constituents to answer questions, provide information to the public, or solicit information from the public.
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City Officials may not:
Discuss on Social Media with a majority of the Legislative Body, the business of a specific nature that is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Legislative Body. Comment on a post of another member of the Legislative Body, including “liking,” sharing, reposting, or use of emojs.
Block any member of the public from participating in your Social Media account if it is a moderated platform with content that pertains to City business.
CITY OFFICIAL VIOLATION PROCEDURES
The personal use of Social Media by an appointed City Official in a manner that violates this policy may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the City’s Rules and Regulations, Policies, and Procedures. The severity of the disciplinary action will be determined based on the nature of the violation, up to and including removal. The City Council is strongly encouraged to provide the City Official with at least one warning prior to removing the City Official.
EMPLOYEE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
While the City does not monitor employees’ personal Social Media accounts, this section when referring to the City. Following these principles helps ensure a distinction between sharing personal and agency views/information. The following rules and guidelines apply to all employees acting in an official capacity for the City of Suisun City:
While employees may voluntarily choose to engage with the City on its Social Media Accounts, the City does not encourage or require any employee to follow or “like” City Social Media Accounts. The City does not condone the personal use by employees of Social Media during the employee’s working hours by any means, including by using City-owned equipment. Employees have no right or expectation of privacy when using City-issued devices or systems. The City reserves the right to monitor, search, or disclose employee use of City resources. When an employee uses Social Media in a personal capacity, they are doing so for themselves, and they are not speaking or communicating on behalf of the City. Employees should ensure that it does not appear they are speaking or posting on behalf of the City unless they have been officially authorized to do so.
Employees may not use their official City email addresses to create or maintain any personal Social Media account(s) or site(s).
Employees are prohibited from using the City logo or seal or any variation of the City logo or seal, representing the City, or representing that they speak on behalf of the City within their personal Social Media account(s) or site(s). Employees must also make clear in any online activity that the views and opinions they express about work-related matters are their own, have not been reviewed by the City, and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the City. Employees are reminded and cautioned that nothing posted on the Internet is private. Content can easily be shared, forwarded, and distributed to broader audiences without your knowledge or permission.
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Information posted on Social Media may be used as evidence in disciplinary, administrative, or legal proceedings.
The City will not require you to provide a password or other security information for your personal sites that are password-protected or otherwise non-public.
The personal use of Social Media by an employee in a manner that violates any City policy or procedure will not be tolerated, and may be grounds for disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
Employees are expected to comply with the same ethical and performance standards on-line as in the workplace. Using Social Media in a way that disrupts the workplace or hinders the mission and functions of the employee’s job, department, or the City is prohibited. Employees may not post any content on the Internet or Social Media that constitutes or contains City confidential, proprietary, privileged, private, personnel, or other non-public information.
EXCEPTIONS
Authorized Users using Social Media in an authorized investigative or covert purposes - such as law enforcement activities - are exempt from the guidelines in this policy. Instead, such activities are governed by the applicable internal department or division policies specific to such investigative or covert efforts.
Employees' failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the City’s Rules and Regulations, Policies, and Procedures. The severity of the disciplinary action will be determined based on the nature of the violation and may include, but is not limited to, termination of employment. 434
SOCIAL MEDIA
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The social media accounts for the City of Suisun City are limited public forums. Posts shall abide by the City of Suisun City’s “Social Media Policy,” which includes the City’s Social Media Terms of Use, federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies, as well as the rules and regulations of the site provider. By posting on the City’s account, you consent to providing the City with full rights to the posted content, including photographs and videos. As provided in Section VI, posts and comments by the City staff on the City’s Social Media Accounts shall NOT contain any of the following:
Comments that are not typically related to the information posted; Comments in support of, or in opposition to, political campaigns, candidates, or ballot measures;
Profane language or content;
Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination based on race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, or status about public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law;
Sexual or obscene content or links to sexual or obscene content; Solicitations of commerce or advertisements, including promotion or endorsement; Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party, such as trademark or copyright infringement;
Disclosure of confidential, sensitive, or proprietary information, or that violates another person’s right to privacy; or
Images or video of a minor without the consent of the minor’s parents.
I acknowledge that I have read and understand the City of Suisun City’s “Social Media Policy.”
_________________________________ _____________________ Officer/Employee/Contractor Signature Name Date
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APPENDIX A
CITY OF SUISUN CITY SOCIAL MEDIA TERMS OF USE
Disclaimer/Terms of Use
THIS SITE IS NOT MONITORED IN REAL TIME. IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY OR KNOW OF A CRIME IN PROGRESS, PLEASE CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. THIS SOCIAL MEDIA SITE IS NOT A PUBLIC FORUM. BY ENGAGING WITH THIS SOCIAL MEDIA SITE, YOU AGREE TO ADHERE TO THE TERMS OF USE OUTLINED AT https://[INSERT WEBSITE]
The City will publish the following information on its website at https://[INSERT WEBSITE] These Terms of Use apply to all users of the City of Suisun City's social media accounts ("sites"). The City’s social media sites are not public forums, and all Comments and Posts must comply with these Terms of Use and the host social media site’s Terms of Use. The City’s social media sites are intended to serve as a mechanism for communication between the City and the public to help further our mission. If any public Comments are allowed on these sites, the City reserves the right to hide or remove posts or comments at the City’s sole discretion. Any Comment submitted to sites and their fans, followers, or subscribers may be considered a public record, which is subject to disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act. Public information requests must be directed to the City Clerk’s office.
All Comments on the City’s sites should be related to the topic of the original post to which the Comment is attached. The City reserves the right to hide or remove off-topic Comments that violate these Terms of Use. The City additionally reserves the right to report a user directly to the host social media network if the user's Post, Comment, or other content violates the network's Terms of Use.
To the extent public Comments are allowed on the site, the City welcomes questions and commentary, including constructive feedback and differing opinions, but please remember to be both relevant and respectful with what you post. The City does not tolerate harassment, abuse, or threats to others. Posts or comments including, including but not limited to the following, are inappropriate and subject to removal or restriction by the City:
Profane, obscene, or violent content and/or language; Content that includes unlawful harassment or threats of violence; Sexually explicit, “adult-oriented” or pornographic content and/or language; Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination or harassment based on race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by local, state, or federal law;
Defamatory content;
Fraudulent, deceptive, libelous, misleading, or unlawful content; Encourages criminal or illegal activity;
Comments or language that is abusive, harassing, stalking, threatening, or attacking others; Information that tends to compromise the safety or security of City employees, the public, public systems, or the City’s technology resources;
Violates any legal ownership interest, such as a copyright or trademark; Contains personal information such as home addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, or other information in violation of the right to privacy; Solicitation of commerce, including any advertising or business services or products for sale; Violates any federal, state, or local laws;
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Not related to City posts, business, information, announcements, events, or comments not related to the original topic, including random or unintelligible posts; Spamming in nature, such as repetitive posts of the same material; Contains links to inappropriate websites, or links that do not directly relate to City services, issues, news, and events;
Viruses or programs that could damage the operation of other people’s computers; Comments or posts on topics or issues not within the jurisdictional purview of the City.
The above list is not necessarily exhaustive, and the City reserves the right to remove or restrict any Post or Comment that violates the purpose or spirit of this policy.
The City of Suisun City and its respective employees and its respective employees are not liable for any errors or omissions or for any loss or damages suffered as a result of anything appearing on this site. Any information or views provided on the City’s social media pages are current as of the date indicated, and are subject to change without notice. The City’s social media pages are intended to disseminate news, and promote upcoming events.
Where such statements are based on information provided by third parties, they are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. The City is not responsible for anything posted by third parties, and makes no representation as to the accuracy or completeness of information contained in such material. The City is not responsible for, and disclaims any liability in relation to anything posted by contributors to the City’s social media pages, including public commenters.
A Comment posted by a member of the public on any City of Suisun City social media site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only City of Suisun City does not endorse it. The publication of a Comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the City of Suisun City, nor do such Comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City of Suisun City.
The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this policy or any applicable law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City of Suisun City is not obligated to take such actions. It disclaims all responsibility and liability for any materials posted by a member of the public.
By posting a Comment, users agree to indemnify the City of Suisun City, its officers and employees from and against all liabilities, judgments, damages, and costs (including attorney’s fees) incurred by any of them which arise out of or are related to content posted by users. If a user does not agree to these terms, the , as a violation of these terms may result in legal liability.
If you have any questions regarding these Terms of Use, please email us at [INSERT E-MAIL ADDRESS].
The above disclaimer and Terms of Use may not be altered without the prior approval of the City Manager or City Attorney (or their respective designees). The City Manager will work with authorized staff to properly set up the site and its disclaimers.
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1 Presented by:
January 20, 2026Patrick Enright, City Attorney
Social Media Policy
Background: Suisun City Social MediaCity currently maintains several social media accountsCurrently no Citywide Policy No policy outlining procedural and conduct expectations for: • Elected and appointed City officials, including Commissioners, Committee Members, and Board Members;• City employees; and• Others acting on behalf of the City 1 2
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2 Background: Suisun City Social MediaNo policy outlining social media account creation or managementCurrent Norms and Procedures broadly addresses the use of social media by public officials; Proposed Norms and Procedures does not address social media use Proposed Social Media Policy
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3 Proposed Social Media Policy OverviewApplies to all City officials, employees, and those acting on City’s behalfProposes procedures and standards of conduct for creating, operating, and maintaining City social media accountsEstablishes Social Media Acknowledgment for officers, employees, and contractors to signEstablishes a disclaimer and terms of use that applies to all users of City social media accounts Account and Administration Management
Sets forth procedures for creating official City social media accounts Requires City Manager or Designee’s approval
All City social media accounts must be created with City contact information All City login, user, and password information for official City social media accounts must be provided to City Manager City social media accounts only allowed on sites that provide a way for the City to remove posts that violate City policy 5 6
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4 Content Guidelines
Prohibited content includes:• Profane, discriminatory, or offensive language• Content that incites violence• Information that could compromise public safety or the security of public systems• Defamatory statements• Threats• Content that violates any law Applies to posts on official City social media accounts by City officials, employees, and third partiesProhibits specific categories of posts on City social media accounts Record Retention
Requires City to maintain a record of City social media accounts, including:• A log file containing the City’s social media account login and password information;• A record of the social media platform’s usage agreement at the time the City’s account was created;• A list of authorized users for the City’s accounts;• Any content removed based on this policy must be retained for two years or such other period as required by the City records retention policy; City may remove content which violates this policy even if there is no reasonably practical way to retain that information. 7 8
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5 Use of Social Media by City Officials
Prohibits using social media in a way that violates the Brown Act City officials cannot use social media or any form of electronic communication to respond to or engage in serial meetings, or otherwise discuss, deliberate, or express opinions on any issue within the subject matter jurisdiction of the body Simply “liking” or reacting to a post from another official, regarding City-related matters by a public official could result in a Brown Act violation Use of Social Media by City Officials
Encourages City officials to not post or share information known to be false or rumors about the City, its employees, officials, vendors, contractors, or any other individual or entity 9 10
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6 Use of Social Media by Employees
Provides guidelines for employee use of personal social media City does not condone the personal use of social media by employees during the employee’s working hours Clarifies employees have no right or expectation of privacy when using City-issued devices or systems; City reserves the right to monitor, search, or disclose employee use of City resources Use of Social Media by Employees
Prohibits using City e-mail for creating personal social media accounts Prohibits posting content on the internet or social media that constitutes or contains City confidential, privileged or other non-public information 11 12
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7 Enforcement
Violation of policy is grounds for disciplinary action
Disciplinary action determined based on the nature of the violation and may include termination of employment or removal from office Thank you!
Patrick Enright, City AttorneyRichards, Watson & [email protected] 13 14
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