The special Fontana City Council meeting on Nov. 12 ended in tension, as residents approached the podium for public comment regarding concerns about the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity, while the topic at hand was the Toys for Tots Classic Car Show.

“Under state law, Special Meetings allow public comment only on the items listed on the agenda and this was clearly explained prior to public comment,” Mayor Acquanetta Warren said in a statement.

“While we value every member of the public and their voices, several speakers attempted to address federal issues not related to the agenda item. They were respectfully reminded to keep their comments focused on the single topic before the council.

“Fontana remains committed to transparency, following public meeting laws and supporting events that uplift our community.”

Resident and aspiring mayor Joz Sida was present at the meeting and said that she felt the community members who appeared for public comment were dismissed and disregarded.

“It was really disheartening — people were very emotional because they felt extremely disrespected, belittled and pushed aside,” Sida said. “Some of these folks are new residents of Fontana who come from areas where they get extremely involved, they like being able to have their voice be heard — and when they go to city council, they feel they’re not being heard.

“You shouldn’t treat people like they don’t matter.”

Unlike a standard council meeting, the public comment segment of a special city council meeting focuses only on the item(s) presented before the council on the agenda. Due to the matter on the agenda being the charity event, the meeting was not the proper place for comment on other matters.

Mayor Warren prefaced the segment by reading and explaining the rules aloud.

“The Brown Act provides, on this special meeting agenda, comment on any item including items on the consent calendar only,” Warren said.

“What this means is that the council welcomes and encourages your input on action items on today’s agenda.

“Please do not use profanity, name-calling, or any other behavior that would disrupt the proceedings this afternoon.”

She mentioned as well that failure to follow the rules could result in individuals being asked to leave.

City Attorney Ruben Duran followed, stating explicitly that the only comments allowed must pertain to the Toys for Tots Classic Car Show — an upcoming toy drive to support the Fontana Boys and Girls Club. Additionally, the mayor reiterated the point, telling the audience that if their “public comment does not relate to that, you will not be allowed to speak.”

“If you’re speaking on any other item, you will be asked to stop,” Warren said.

According to Sida, she and the other residents were not aware of the topic restrictions for a special city council meeting prior to attending and resolved to speak about the agenda item. She was the first of five scheduled speakers, to be followed by four other residents — each allotted three minutes at the podium.

The aspiring mayor began by acknowledging the charity event as an “amazing opportunity,” highlighting the support it offers to the residents in the face of the hardships wrought by the government shutdown. She finished her comment with one minute and 15 seconds remaining.

“I hope that you all have a safe holiday season with your families united — as many people are not going to be able to do that,” Sida said.

A resident of three years, the second speaker commented that she would like to learn more about how she and her neighbors might contribute to the toy drive and asked if the city intended to make additional announcements regarding the event in the future. She argued the timing of the meeting — 2 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon — limited the accessibility of the meeting.

Sida said she agrees with the sentiment and believes the council should generally change its meeting time to be later in the evening to allow more community members an opportunity to attend during the week.

The third speaker opened her comment by asking the council a question.

“I would love to know how the city would be able to let families know that they’re welcome to come when they’re terrified of going out into the streets because they’re being attacked,” she said.

The speaker was interrupted by Warren, who let her know she was in violation of the public comment rules. The resident and mayor began speaking over each other, attempting to settle the issue.

“I was very clear,” Warren said, “this has nothing to do with the agenda item.

“Do not talk out, or we will ask you to leave.”

“I want the children to feel safe,” the third speaker said in response.

Following Warren’s first warning, urging the speakers to “stick to the issue on the agenda,” the resident continued to speak about ICE activity and noted that “parents were just taken over the weekend” — prompting the mayor to interrupt her and issue a second warning.

The audio cuts out briefly during this point of the recording on KFON TV and resumes with Warren moving the meeting forward to the final two speakers.

“I’m here for something totally different, but I feel like you’re going to shoot it down anyway,” speaker number four said.

“I am,” the mayor replied. “Stick to the agenda item.”

He continued, speaking about issues specific to South Fontana, where he lives and works in transportation.

“You guys forgot about us,” the speaker said. “We’ve had seven fatalities…”

The South Fontana resident was interrupted by City Attorney Duran, who also proceeded to read the rules of public comment for a special city council meeting. He explained that the issues the residents raised were better suited to a regular city council meeting and let him know the next meeting date is Tuesday, Dec. 9. Duran apologized to the fourth speaker, assuring him that he did “not mean any disrespect.” Warren followed, letting him know that if he would like to discuss transportation infrastructure, she would be willing to meet with him immediately after the special council meeting adjourned.

Sida said she felt that it was unfair to allow some public comments that were unrelated to the agenda item to be made, while others were stopped early.

“The difference, we felt, was when the other gentleman went to speak about communities and roads, the response was, ‘What is it that you need — after this meeting, you can come meet with me and talk to me,’” she said. “We didn’t get offered that opportunity.”

The final speaker, also a Fontana resident, opened his comment by stating that he hopes the council will also take time to individually address “other alarming issues.” Additionally, he disagreed with the council’s choice to open the meeting with a prayer — citing the separation of church and state and opting to say a prayer to his ancestors that aligned with his personal religious beliefs.

“May their spirits rest as their grandchildren are being ripped away from the streets,” he said. “May their spirits rest while their grandchildren are being called illegal and undocumented.”

The final speaker added that he watched a video where Mayor Warren and the council addressed the youth advisory committee and encouraged them to speak out against racism in their community — a sentiment he said he agrees with and an issue he hopes the city will educate children about.

Following that comment, he was interrupted by Warren for straying from the agenda item — ending his window with one and a half minutes remaining.

For Sida, she, the other speakers and Fontana’s other communities are looking for the city council to address the situation in two ways — change the time for city council meetings to allow greater opportunity for attendance and speak about the ICE issue in the city, assuring the residents that they are seen, heard and safe.

“They are very silent on this issue, and no statements have ever been made — this is just one meeting of so many where people try to talk about ICE and immigration,” Sida said. “I know that local electeds can’t do much about federal organizations, but there is a situation where you can ensure that your community knows that you are going to advocate for them because you care for them.

“City Hall should be a space where people feel empowered, proud and like they belong.”