Union City is joining several other Bay Area cities and counties in banning remote public comment due to concerns about hate speech.

City officials said they will disable virtual public comments via Zoom in all governmental meetings effective next Tuesday.

The decision was made after “recent events where many neighboring jurisdictions and regional bodies have been subjected to racist and antisemitic rhetoric by anonymous callers,” city officials said.

People can still give public comment in person and can send comments to the city clerk by email before the start of a meeting and including the agenda item number along with “Public Comment” in the subject line.

People can also still view public meetings remotely via Zoom, UCTV Channel 15 and on the city’s website.

Similar decisions have been made by officials in San Francisco, Sonoma County, Concord, Walnut Creek and San Ramon.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.