City Council

(8) Engaging in behavior that constitutes use of force or a true threat of force. (c) It shall be unlawful to violate the provisions of this section. A person violating this section may be removed and barred from further participation at the meeting at which the violation occurs. (d) If any subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase or word of this section 2-50 is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this section. The city council hereby declares that it would have passed this section and each subsection, sentence, clause and phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more subsections, sentences, clauses, phrases or words had been declared invalid or unconstitutional. Section 2-51. - Enforcement of decorum. The chief of police or any member or members of the police department or other members of the city staff may be designated by the council to be sergeant-at-arms when, in the opinion of the presiding officer, the services of a sergeant-at-arms is necessary, and the sergeant-at-arms shall carry out all orders and instructions given by the presiding officer for the purpose of maintaining order and decorum in accordance with section 2-50 at the council meeting, including, but not limited to, removing and barring from further participation at the meeting any person who is willfully disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting. Section 2-52. Persons authorized to be within council area. No person, except city officials, their representatives and members of the news media shall be permitted within the rail in front of the council chamber without the express consent of the council. The following are excerpts from the Penal Code: Section 148. Resisting public or peace officers or emergency medical technicians in discharge of their duties; Removal of weapon from person or presence of public or peace officer. (a) (1) Every person who willfully resists, delays, or obstructs any public officer, peace officer, or an emergency medical technician, as defined in Division 2.5 (commencing with Section 1797) of the Health and Safety Code, in the discharge or attempt to discharge any duty of his or her office or employment, when no other punishment is prescribed, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail not to exceed one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment. Section 403. Disturbance of assembly or meeting other than religious or political. Every person who, without authority of law, willfully disturbs or breaks up any assembly or meeting that is not unlawful in its character, other than an assembly or meeting referred to in Section 302 of the Penal Code or Section 18340 of the Elections Code, is guilty of a misdemeanor.