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The San Ramon City Council has approved a plan to fly commemorative flags on city-owned flagpoles, and while council members generally agreed Tuesday that some sort of platform should be provided, opinions did differ on how prevalent the location should be.
Revisiting an issue previously tabled during a special meeting held in June 2020, council members unanimously agreed that commemorative flags can now be displayed digitally on the San Ramon City Hall marquee sign and on a flagpole at the corner of Alcosta Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road.
“I think it is my responsibility to the community to allow them to share their feelings and sentiments in the form of commemorative flags,” Councilmember Sridhar Verose said during Tuesday’s meeting. “We are not going to fly every commemorative flag; it is up to a council member to bring that flag to the table and then the City Council will vote on it and decide. It’s not like we’ll just put up 10 commemorative flags; that’s not a conversation we want to have.”
According to the city’s new flag policy, commemorative flags — such as the LGBTQ flag, Daughters of the American Revolution flag or Earth Day flag — are now eligible to be placed on the city-owned flagpole at the council’s discretion.
City officials did stress that commemorative flags chosen for display will be done so in order to display the free speech or support of the city itself and not necessarily individual members. In order for a flag to be displayed, it must be requested by a council member, who will bring it to their fellow members for an official vote — with a majority vote from the council being needed to approve the flag.
No more than one commemorative flag shall be displayed concurrently and no flag will fly for longer than 31 consecutive days.
The policy also dictates that commemorative flags representing political organizations, for-profit organizations, religious organizations, or other nations shall be prohibited from being displayed.
City staff also said that city flagpoles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public and that only the city — or more directly, the City Council — may place or fly a flag on city’s flagpoles.
Tuesday’s discussion marked a continuation of a year-long review process to craft the city’s flag policy, which began in June of last year after the council had decided to fly the LGBTQ Pride flag on a city-owned flagpole — doing so in a show of support of the LGBTQ community.
“I can’t even tell you how many people reached out to me and said they felt so included as a part of this community (for flying that flag),” Councilmember Sabina Zafar said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“I think that sense of belonging is what we are going for, so people feel that they belong. We can never make everybody happy, but I think a good place for the flag is under our city flag because it really talks about, under the umbrella of San Ramon, that we are inclusive of all communities,” she added.
After originally endorsing a plan to fly commemorative flags on the flagpole outside of San Ramon City Hall, Zafar sided with her fellow council members on the alternative plan that reserves the poles outside of City Hall for the American flag, California State flag and the City of San Ramon flag.
Despite ultimately voting to approve the new policy, Councilmember Mark Armstrong voiced his objection to flying any commemorative flag on city-owned flagpoles, believing that any commemorative symbols should be shown on the City Hall marquee instead.
“To me the First Amendment is a beautiful thing; it allows us to have free speech. But it also allows the right to free speech that can deeply offend other people so that is what I get concerned,” Armstrong said. “I think our city flagpoles represent our city government; I don’t think they should serve as an open forum for free expression by the public.”
“I do believe that our city flagpole should be closed to speech activities and I do think that there is an open forum for commemorative flags and I think that is on the city’s marque,” he added.
Vice Mayor Scott Perkins proposed the creation of a fourth flagpole for commemorative flags, that when not in use would fly the city flag.
“I would actually like the city to erect a new flag on the city of Alcosta and Bollinger. Those are two of the very busiest of streets, and I think that displaying commemorative flags there would be a very positive thing,” Perkins said. “I like the fact that it would be in a very prominent place, yet it’s not part of the government flags that are in front of city hall.”
Residents can learn more about San Ramon’s new flag police and view the entire meeting on the city’s official YouTube channel.
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