Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes were captured on the council’s livestream discussing how the city documents disruptions at meetings, after a contentious debate over federal grant funding tied to the Central California Intelligence Center.
A Sacramento City Council meeting was briefly recessed and the chamber cleared after repeated interruptions from members of the public during debate over a city item connected to the Central California Intelligence Center (CCIC), a regional “fusion center” operated by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Video from the meeting’s livestream shows Talamantes approaching McCarty after attendees were allowed back into the chamber and saying, in part:
“We should go over this disruptions thing, because if we want to ban somebody in the future, like to actually take them out, we have to point out specifically.”
In the same exchange, McCarty can be heard saying the city attorney had told them they could not bar people in that way, according to video reported by Yahoo News and other outlets.
The Daily Wire reported that the conversation occurred after anti-ICE protesters repeatedly disrupted the meeting. Other coverage described the disruptions as occurring during discussion of a grant agreement intended to fund staffing tied to CCIC operations.
City records show the council item involved authorizing the city to execute a subaward agreement related to CCIC / fusion center services, with the agreement described as a pass-through of federal grant funds to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for CCIC staffing, with an amount not to exceed $793,280 and a term running through March 31, 2027.
McCarty later said the discussion reflected a review of how meetings are kept orderly and what existing rules allow. Talamantes, in separate remarks reported by Fox News, condemned threats directed at her and her family.
Sacramento’s meeting information posted by the city emphasizes public participation in council proceedings, including in-person and written comment options. Under standard public-meeting procedures, officials may warn disruptive attendees and can order removal or clear the room when a meeting cannot proceed, though the precise application of those powers can depend on the circumstances and legal guidance.
