One of the first persons to show up and offer public comment at Tuesday’s Whittier City Council meeting had just stepped to the podium when James Becerra noticed the red muted mic symbol displayed on the screens above the council chamber.

The city had just cut the sound on public comment from the meeting’s livestream and broadcast.

“My first thought was, ‘Why would they be muting anything?’ I couldn’t understand why they would be limiting communication and outreach instead of facilitating it,” he said.

Becerra, who has served on Whittier boards and commissions since 1999 and recently retired as faculty emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Environmental Design, is running for mayor of Whittier.

“The purpose of free speech is less about someone saying what they want and more about

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