Two California politicians want to silence the public \u2014 they revealed in an awkward hot-mic moment.<\/p>\n
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty<\/a> and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes<\/a> were heard speaking about how to quiet concerned citizens raising a ruckus during their city council meeting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The exchange came after the audience protested an agreement between the city and the Central California Intelligence Center, a federally funded hub that shares information with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes were caught in a hot-mic moment.<\/p>\n Audience members berated the council, including Talamantes, just before a half-hour break to reestablish decorum.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a pick-me bitch,\u201d one audience member screamed after Talamantes spoke. \u201cShame on you. Shame on you,\u201d others shouted.<\/p>\n The awkward moment began after the council took a break and Talamantes strolled over to McCarty.<\/p>\n The two were heard speaking about how to quiet concerned citizens raising a ruckus during their city council meeting. City of Sacramento<\/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 she leaned over and said.<\/p>\n \u201cI know, but the city attorney said we can\u2019t do that,\u201d McCarty replied. \u201cWe did it last time,\u201d Talamantes is heard saying.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t,\u201d the mayor said, shaking his head. \u201cI spent my first six months going over this. I wanted to give people, like, probation, like, you can\u2019t come\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Then a stunned Talamantes lunges to turn the microphone off. She finishes the conversation and walks back to her seat.<\/p>\n McCarty said the discussion of \u201cexisting policies and rules\u201d happened because of audience disruptions. City of Sacramento<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for the California Morning Report newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCalifornia’s top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Talamantes was one of the few who wanted to permanently silence members of the crowd in Sacramento. City of Sacramento<\/p>\n The two Sacramento politicians declined to discuss the exchange in-depth in statements to The Sacramento Bee<\/a> but acknowledged decorum should be kept up in the council chambers and that their conversation was aimed at that.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to address the mayor and council in a productive way,\u201d Talamantes said, before condemning threats against her and her family.<\/p>\n \u201cThreatening members of the community and elected official\u2019s family members is unacceptable in the democracy we are fighting for,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n McCarty said the discussion of \u201cexisting policies and rules\u201d happened because of the disruptions.<\/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 Audience members berated the council, including Talamantes, just before a half-hour break to reestablish decorum.<\/p>\n One of the disruptive audience members, resident Leanna Hunt, said she\u2019s enormously frustrated with the council. In one exchange last month, she called McCarty a \u201cgoddamn criminal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMcCarty I\u2019m f\u2013king talking to you. Kevin! Shame on you, you f\u2013king criminal,\u201d she added. Hunt said she\u2019s fed up and compared the council meeting to a medieval story.<\/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\u00a0Sac Immigration Committee<\/a>, told The Sacramento Bee that the exchange illustrated that Talamantes was one of the few who wanted to permanently silence members of the crowd.<\/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 Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters <\/p>\n California Post News: Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, X<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t
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