Only On 9: When Attending Meetings At Jurupa Valley City Hall, Remember To Take Off The Mask

JURUPA VALLEY (CBSLA.com)  —  Everyone is welcome at Jurupa Valley City Hall.

Well, perhaps not the Lone Ranger, Christian Gray, wrestler Mil Mascaras, Batman or the Phantom of the Opera.

In a story that is Only On 9, KCAL9's Crystal Cruz explained Thursday evening why masks are now banned. Most notably masks of Guy Fawkes, the 16th-century Englishman who plotted against King James and Parliament.

The Guy Fawkes mask, the one that Anonymous wears, has used is definitely on the no-no list.

Resident Justin Martinez wore one of the masks at a meeting last month and so sufficiently upset people that the City Council voted to outlaw them calling it a "public safety concern."

The new ruling says no one may enter City Hall with their face partially covered or fully concealed.

"This community deserves to be able to come into the faculty and feel safe and a lot of them didn't. The ordinance is written in such a way that there's nothing that prevents any freedom of expression or freedom of speech -- just can't cover your face," says Jurupa Valley City Manager Gary Thompson.

While the mask has seemingly popped up everywhere of late, the image really reverts back to the 1600s in London. Anonymous helped reignite the look and it's been seen everywhere.

Lawmakers in Jurupa Valley City Hall, however, said one place you won't see it is there.

"Where do we draw the line?" Martinez yelled Thursday evening, standing outside City Hall and wearing a surgical mask.

"How do you like my new look?" he cryptically asked Cruz.

Martinez claims nothing has been done to fix what he calls a dangerous situation for children in his neighborhood -- namely unprotected canals.

At the meeting last month, he confronted lawmakers and promised that he was going to did into what city leaders have been doing with taxpayers' money.

"In this case, it was the last resort. I've already tried to go from every angle through complaints, claims," Martinez said.

Thursday evening, the city manager told Cruz residents can bring a mask, hold a mask and wear a mask on their T-shirts, they just can't obscure their faces.