During this week’s San Fernando City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Patty Lopez asked fellow council members to consider implementing new citywide guidelines regarding privately owned media materials being displayed for community distribution in city-run facilities.
At issue, she said, are free magazines and other giveaway materials currently being placed at City Hall, Las Palmas Senior Center or any other possible city sites, explained Lopez, noting that “all media outlets should be treated under the same clear rules.”
Councilmember Sean Rivas asked Lopez if it was about “targeting newspapers,” expressing concern about any policy that would impact First Amendment rights. Lopez emphasized that her concerns aren’t about the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol newspaper, which has “been in the city for a long time” – dating back to 1904, when it was first published as The Fernando Press.
“It’s not [about] the newspaper,” she reiterated. “But … first [there] was the newspaper, and after [that], suddenly [there were] two magazines at several of the facilities, and I’m not talking about outside, but inside the facility. So who oversees that? Who controls that? How does it benefit the city?”
Lopez said she worries about the unknown content of the media materials, including whatever merchandise or services they may promote, especially if community members mistakenly associate the publications with the city because they’re being distributed in city-owned facilities.
Lopez requested that City Manager Kanika Kith ask city staff to explore the issue by reviewing the media materials. She also suggested creating a “consistent and transparent” policy – such as requiring permits or Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for publications seeking placement inside city locations – for city councilmembers to consider at a future date.
Any approved policy would be applied to all published materials, including the San Fernando Valley Sun, noted Lopez. Currently, the only city-owned properties where the community newspaper is being placed indoors are at Las Palmas Park and the San Fernando Police Department (SFPD) headquarters.
Within San Fernando city limits, the San FernandoValley Sun can also be found in newsracks located on public thoroughfares.