Jurupa Valley Officials Call For Ban On Wearing Masks At City Hall

JURUPA VALLEY (CBSLA.com) — City officials in Jurupa Valley were set to consider a plan Thursday to prohibit residents from wearing masks at City Hall.

The proposed ban comes after a resident donned a Guy Fawkes mask - popularized by the 2005 film "V For Vendetta" - while addressing the City Council during a meeting in January, according to The Press-Enterprise.

Under Ordinance No. 2015-03, the wearing of masks would be prohibited in both the City Council chambers and City Hall along with any other conduct that "disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of legislative body meetings."

The ordinance does not offer any definition of the word "mask".

A YouTube video posted on Jan. 27 shows a man identified by The Press-Enterprise as Justin Martinez addressing the council with a sign that read in part, "I am going to show them what you did. I am going to use your records to do it."

In the video, Martinez spoke in a theatrical voice and unidentifiable accent as he called each City Council member by their first name. Martinez cited the Freedom of Information Act in calling for the release of unspecified records and even requested time for a "diabolical laugh".

City officials said the wearing of masks and other disguises could pose a public safety threat and make it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify speakers if necessary.

But Martinez rejected that argument, telling The Press-Enterprise he revealed his identity at an earlier meeting and only approached the podium when his name was publicly announced.

The City Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m.