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Sacramento City Councilmember Karina Talamantes listens at a City Council meeting. DANIEL HEUER Sacramento Bee file <\/p>\n
The public cleared the room and was let back in after the council completed the vote (approving the agreement 5-2). As people filed back in, Talamantes approached McCarty and had the following conversation:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should go over this disruptions thing, because if we want to ban somebody in the future, like to take them out, we have to point out specifically\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, but the City Attorney said we can\u2019t do that,\u201d McCarty replied.<\/p>\n
Talamantes says something unintelligible, followed by \u201cwe did it last time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent my first six months going over this. I wanted to give people, like, probation, like you can\u2019t come\u2026\u201d McCarty said before Talamantes lunged to turn the mic off.<\/p>\n
The agitators were upset about an agreement between the city and the Central California Intelligence Center, a federally-funded hub where local and state agencies share intelligence with agencies, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. While Sacramento Police ensured the City Council that personal data would not be used for federal immigration purposes, opponents of the agreement doubted that the center would adhere to sanctuary city policies.<\/p>\n
Maintaining decorum<\/p>\n
In an emailed statement to The Bee, Talamantes wrote that the council needs to do a better job maintaining decorum in the council chambers, and cited rules in the Brown Act and the City\u2019s Council Rules of Procedures.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal is to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to address the Mayor and Council in a productive way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also condemned members of the public who said that she and her family should be afraid to leave the house: \u201cThreatening members of the community and elected official\u2019s family members is unacceptable in the democracy we are fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCarty declined The Bee\u2019s request for an interview but issued a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing repeated audience disruptions that interfered with the Council\u2019s ability to conduct its business, Vice Mayor Talamantes and I discussed existing policies and rules to ensure Council meetings remain effective, orderly, and respectful for both the residents in attendance and the Councilmembers,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Targets of the conversation<\/p>\n
Resident Leanna Hunt said she was the likely target of this conversation. Hunt has been the loudest of the routine disruptors. She\u2019s not shy on or off the podium \u2014 routinely cursing McCarty specifically and shaming others behind the dais.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t deserve a f—— thing that you get, you Goddamn criminal,\u201d she shouted at McCarty as he left the dais amid a musical disruption at a council meeting June 9. \u201cMcCarty I\u2019m f—— talking to you. Kevin! Shame on you, you f—— criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said that her repeated outbursts, which come after years of trying \u201cthe peaceful way,\u201d are less of a political strategy and more a result of exasperation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fed up,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not even a tactic \u2014 I\u2019m just tired of being treated like we are an audience and that the king is deigning to see us peasants today and when the peasants are unruly, the king gets upset.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joshua Masias, a volunteer organizer with the Sac Immigration Committee<\/a>, was also particularly outspoken at Tuesday\u2019s meeting and suspected that he may have been another focal point of the conversation between McCarty and Talamantes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very authoritative how she wants to use her power,\u201d Masias said. \u201cIt stuck out to me that she was the only one to try to silence the crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n Repeated outbursts<\/p>\n This is the third meeting in two months in which several activists have violated the Council\u2019s general conduct rules outlined in its rules of procedure. The document bars conduct that \u201cdisturbs the orderly conduct of the council meeting,\u201d including interjecting when not at the podium and refusing to heed the presiding officer\u2019s call for order.<\/p>\n When passing the final version of its budget, an impromptu choir broke out singing anti-immigration enforcement song \u201cIt\u2019s OK to Change Your Mind,\u201c advocating for cuts to the Sacramento Police Department in favor of funding youth violence intervention, a community ambassador program, homelessness services and fee waivers for underserved residents.<\/p>\n To the tune of the acapella protest, McCarty and the rest of the council walked out for a forced 10-minute recess, after which they approved the budget 7-2.<\/p>\n Two weeks later, as the Council considered passing a new immigration action plan, it halted the meeting<\/a> due to continued outbursts from anti-ICE activists who were protesting the document, which one resident described as \u201cnothing more than political theater.\u201d<\/p>\n During public comment the group booed a resident who expressed support for the plan as it was, prompting admonishment from Talamantes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s one thing for you to disrespect us as mayor and council, but another to disrespect another resident,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published July 22, 2026 at 3:26 PM.<\/p>\n Follow More of Our Reporting on Reality Check<\/p>\n
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