HOT MIC: Sacramento officials suggest BANNING residents from city meetings for 'disruptive' speech

The Democrat mayor and vice mayor of Sacramento, California were caught on a hot mic discussing how they would want to ban those who are “disruptive” with protests at city council meetings.

Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes, who appeared more determined to ban people from speaking, was heard saying to Mayor Kevin McCarty, "We should go over this disruptions thing, because if we want to ban somebody in the future, like to actually take them out, we have to point out specifically ...”

McCarthy responded, "I know, but the City Attorney said we can't do that,” with the attorney likely recognizing First Amendment protections would prevent local governments from banning people from anywhere over “disruptive” speech.

Talamantes doubled down and said, “We did it last time.”

“We can’t, I spent my first six months going over this. I wanted to give people, like, probation, like you can't come,” McCarty added.

The audio was then cut off as Talamantes realized that the microphone was still on.

The discussion caught on hot mic took place on Tuesday night following the city council's approval of a grant from the Central California Intelligence Center, per KCRA. When there were disruptions in the crowd, the incident led to McCarty pausing the meeting and then clearing the chambers following a fiery debate over the policy.

The confrontation had escalated after Talamantes defended accepting the grant, saying that because they were a sanctuary city, Sacramento was better able to oversee the grant funding. "The city of Sacramento is a sanctuary city," Talamantes said. "If we don't pass these dollars, other counties will apply for these dollars, they will get those dollars, and we will have no safeguards to protect our immigrant communities here in Sacramento."

Dozens of speakers had urged the council to reject the grant, claiming that the center could then lead to immigration information being shared with federal authorities. One speaker shouted at the mayor during the meeting, "Kevin, I need your f*cking eyes. Kevin, listen to me. Stop being an a**hole, dude. Listen to your f*cking constituents."

One attendee said to Talamantes that she was a "pick-me b*tch."

After multiple outbursts, McCarthy said, "This is the final notice. We're going to continue with the deliberation, and if there's any more outbursts, we're gonna have to ask the audience to leave."

The disruptions still intensified, and the council paused the meeting to clear the room.

In a statement responding to the hot mic incident, McCarthy said, “Every Tuesday, Vice Mayor Talamantes and I are responsible for overseeing and ensuring transparent, accessible, and open Council meetings. Unfortunately, when meetings are repeatedly disrupted, we must discuss existing policies and rules to ensure Council meetings remain effective, orderly, and respectful for both the residents in attendance and the Councilmembers. We are committed to ensuring that all members of the public can access and engage safely without distraction or intimidation.”