Should flags other than the State Flag, City of Morro Bay flag and the Stars and Stripes ever be flown over Morro Bay City Hall?
The City Council thinks not and voted unanimously to drop a policy provision that allowed the Pride Flag to be flown at City buildings for the entire month of June, during the official Pride Month.
Councilman Jeff Eckles asked on April 8 to have a discussion on the Flagpole Policy be agendized at a future meeting.
Eckles said he was “taken aback” when the Council voted in November 2022 to allow the Pride Flag to be flown at City Hall, calling it an “arrogant act” done for a special interest group.
He called it a “gross overreach by local government” and it was a divisive and not a unifying action.
He moved that the official Flagpole Policy only allow flying of the U.S., California State and City of Morro Bay flags, and remove any mention of so-called “Commemorative Flags,” from the policy.
The City has flagpoles at city hall, the police and fire stations, the public library, City Park, the upper Centennial Parkway, and the Vet’s Hall.
City Manager Yvonne Kimball’s staff report said the Flagpole Policy was set in November 2022, when a previous City Council — under former Mayor John Headding — voted (4-0) to adopt Resolution 103-22, a “Policy for Flying Flags at City Facilities.”
It’s a pretty loose policy that is subject to being changed at any time by a majority vote of the City Council.
It reads in part: “It is the policy of the City of Morro Bay that the City’s flag poles are not intended to serve as a forum for free expression by the public but rather for the display of the Flags of the United States and the State of California. The flag poles located at City facilities may also be used to display the flags of the City of Morro Bay, Sister Cities, the existing POW (MIA) Flag and any Commemorative Flags as may be authorized by the City Council as an expression of the City’s official sentiments.”
The phrase, “Commemorative Flags” needed further clarification. “A Commemorative Flag under this policy means a flag that identifies with a specific date historical event, cause, nation or group of people, whereby the City honors or commemorates the date, event, cause, nation or people by flying the flag.”
It continues, “Commemorative flags shall be displayed at City facilities only upon City Council direction and upon adoption of a resolution by a majority vote, consistent with the City’s vision, mission, and ongoing and strategic priorities.”
The policy ends with a limit on how long such a voted-upon flag can fly. The flags, “shall be displayed for a period of time that is reasonable or customary for the subject that is to be commemorated, but no longer than 30 continuous days in any given period.”
The policy is in effect “until modified by the City Council.”
The policy was immediately amended at the same meeting in 2022, as Res. 104-22 was also approved 4-0 (Councilman Jeff Heller was absent that night).
Res. 104-22 authorized the flying of the Pride Flag during the month of June, starting in June 2023. A motion by former Councilwoman, and now State Assemblywoman, Dawn Addis, reads in part “Resolution No. 104-22 approving the Flying of the Rainbow Pride Flag at City Hall during the month of June in Recognition of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Plus Pride Month in the City of Morro Bay.”
Res. 104-22 leaves little doubt as to motivation, “the Council of the City of Morro Bay wishes to establish the Rainbow Pride Flag as a commemorative flag of the City of Morro Bay in accordance with the Flagpole Policy to communicate its support for diversity, inclusivity, equality, and respect in our City; and,” the document continued, “flying the City’s Rainbow Pride Flag during the month of June further symbolizes Morro Bay’s official recognition of June as LGBTQ+ Pride month and reflects the City of Morro Bay’s viewpoint, and symbolizes the City’s celebration of diversity and support for the LGBTQ+ community.”
Though the Flagpole Policy has provisions for amending it — by simple majority vote — the City apparently hasn’t been asked to fly other Commemorative Flags by other special interests, yet.
And now it won’t, after all the council members agreed with Eckles that only the official flags of the Nation, State and City should be allowed.
In prepared remarks written before the meeting and shared with EBN, Eckles said, “Our flagpole is a symbol of unity, not a platform for expressing selective viewpoints. When we choose to fly one group’s flag over another’s, we are inevitably excluding some members of our community. That’s not the role of government.
“We are here to represent everyone, not to signal particular beliefs or causes—no matter how worthy they may seem to some.”
He advocates for only displaying the government flags and rejects the notion it’s discriminatory.
“This isn’t about denying expression,” he wrote. “People are free to fly any flag they wish on their own property, as they should be. But the city’s flagpole should stand for all citizens, not be used to make political or cultural statements that divide the city.”
Councilwoman Cyndee Edwards said she was unclear going into the meeting what Eckles wanted to do with the item, and didn’t want their current action to be misconstrued to mean that “they are not part of our community.”
Mayor Carla Wixom said she wanted to get back to the policy’s original intent and go back to recognizing just the U.S., California State and City of Morro Bay flags. She said there was no malice intent, but rather they wanted to bring the City policy back to core values.
Eckles’ motion was to rescind the Flagpole Policy and bring back (at the May 13 meeting), a replacement policy that only allows for flying the three official government flags.
The Pride Flag flew over City Hall in June 2023 and 2024 but will not fly again over City buildings, unless a future city council votes to change the policy once again.
