Aliso Viejo city officials threw out a flag-flying resolution last week that would have banned the rainbow LGBTQ+ Pride flag at city hall, after dozens of public comments kicked off a five-hour debate about the banner.
Councilmember Mike Munzing brought forward the resolution at the April 2 council meeting that would have restricted city-owned flag poles to fly only the federal, state and local flags.
But council members ended up unanimously voting against the proposed changes, allowing the rainbow flag to continue flying over city hall during Pride month in the future.
Although the resolution didn’t mention the Pride flag specifically, council members acknowledged that the rainbow banner is the only non-government flag that has ever flown at city hall’s flagpole.
If the resolution had passed, the Pride flag would no longer have been permitted for display on city-owned property.
Four years ago, Aliso Viejo City Council members approved flying the LGBTQ+ flag at a May 2021 meeting in a 3-2 vote. Munzing and former Councilmember David Harrington voted no at that meeting.
Since it was approved, the flag has flown at city hall once a year during Pride month in June. The flag also flew during Pride month in 2019.
Munzing said he brought the item forward now because he believes the city made the “wrong move” the first time around.
“We should not be flying divisive or political flags in our city,” he said at the meeting. “It’s better to not have any.”
But after hours of debate — and concern that the resolution could put the city at risk of legal challenges for discrimination — Munzing motioned to throw out the resolution, ripping it up on the dias and ending debate after the meeting had crept into the early hours of Thursday morning.
“I will move to pull the resolution,” Munzing said around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, toward the end of the meeting.
Mayor Tiffany Ackley, who spent a long portion of the meeting criticizing the resolution, thanked Munzing for withdrawing the item.
“I would like to thank Councilmember Munzing,” she said. “While he put us in this position, it is very Herculean of him to withdraw it, and I don’t think that was easy for him to do.”
Over 100 public comments were read during the meeting, with dozens of in-person speakers and dozens of community emails read aloud during the meeting.
While officials usually do not read comments emailed to council members out loud during public meetings, Ackley said she believed all community members deserved to have their voices heard, even if they couldn’t attend in person.
Florice Hoffman, chair of the Democratic Party of Orange County, spoke against the proposed ban at the meeting.
“This community has flown the flag proudly for many years,” she said. “I would say that a majority of the people in Orange County are not for banning the Pride flag. The majority of people in Orange County stand for equality, inclusion, and we need to not discriminate against LGBTQ.”
The Democratic Party of Orange County encouraged people to speak at the meeting through social media posts.
San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock also gave a public comment during the meeting, urging the council to limit city-owned flag poles to only the federal, state and local flags because he said the Pride flag sends a political message.
“If we’re going to promote conduct, why wouldn’t we rather fly flags for first responders, veterans, service clubs, any other group that actually does something beneficial for the city?” Knoblock said. “Please, do not promote the profane by sending a message to our children that the full force and gravitas of our community advocates for the sexual preferences of a few.”
Other speakers emphasized that the attempt to remove the Pride flag is a reflection of larger anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments across the nation.
The Rainbow Flag Debate Across OC
Aliso Viejo is one of a few cities across Orange County that fly the rainbow banner every June.
Santa Ana was the first in 2015, when the council voted to raise the flag every year on Harvey Milk Day. Irvine also raises the flag annually, and it also flies year-round at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa.
[Read: OC Fair Officials Say They Have No Plans to Remove Pride Flag Amid Outcry]
In Huntington Beach, the banner used to fly each year during Pride month before the council approved a similar ban like the one proposed in Aliso Viejo.
Huntington Beach’s flag-flying ordinance passed with a 4-3 vote in 2023.
[Read: Huntington Beach Officials Ban Pride Banner at City Properties Under New Flag Restrictions]
On the county level, the board of supervisors narrowly voted to ban the rainbow Pride flag from flying on all County of Orange properties in 2023, including the Civic Center and public parks.
The vote restricts flags hoisted at the county to OC, state and national flags, along with a flag for U.S. prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action.
[Read: OC Supervisors Ban Pride Flag at County Properties Under New Policy]
The proposal in Aliso Viejo also comes after Munzing accused the local Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley of politically indoctrinating kids through subjects related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
After the accusations and other issues between the Boys & Girls Clubs and the city of Rancho Santa Margarita, including cost and attendance numbers, the RSM branch of the club announced it is slated to close this summer.
The Boys and Girls Club is still operating in Aliso Viejo for at least a few more years due to its ongoing contract.
At last week’s meeting, Ackley criticized Munzing’s comments about the Boys & Girls Club.
“This city is more than the political stunts put forward by Mike Munzing, be it this, or be it him trying to get rid of DEI initiatives at the Boys & Girls Club.”
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.