As Mayor Singh-Allen is encouraged to return big tobacco cash, she tries suppressing free speech

Even by her already paltry standards, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen reached a new low in her efforts to quash dissent and criticism during public meetings. The most recent incident happened during the September 11, 2024, Elk Grove City Council meeting. 

The Mayor expressed her desire to deny First Amendment rights during public comment on non-agenda items. Much like Donald Trump's performance during the Tuesday, September 10 presidential debate where Vice President Kamala Kamala Harris triggered the former president's weird behavior, Singh-Allen was flustered that a member of the public and political opponent dared question her during a city council meeting.

Using her constitutionally protected First Amendment rights, Elk Grove resident and mayoral candidate Lynn Wheat highlighted the health dangers of tobacco use, emphasizing the effects on America's youth. Noting that the Mayor accepted a $2,500 donation from tobacco purveyor R.J. Reynolds, in an almost apologetic manner, Ms. Wheat implored the Mayor to return the donation. 

After hearing Wheat's remarks, Singh-Allen stated that free speech is limited at city council meetings. The Mayor could not be more wrong. 

The Mayor, allegedly a law student, must have skipped the lessons on protected speech. Singh-Allen did not like being called out for accepting money from one of the world's most detested death merchants, as it called into question her carefully cultivated image of being a compassionate, caring person. 

Being an apostolate of big tobacco death merchants tarnished Singh-Allen's image. See the entire exchange in the first video below.

Aside from mounds of case law, much less the First Amendment, Singh-Allen is once again clueless about the American democratic process. Also, the Mayor and her city council have a penchant for violating California's open meeting laws, the Ralph M. Brown Act.

Consider these two people making political and campaign comments during non-agenda items of city council meetings. These videos are from 2014 and 2008.

In the second video below, former Elk Grove City Councilmember Steve Detrick announced his candidacy during the April 9, 2008, city council meeting.  

The third video below shows California Assembly candidate Manuel Martin challenging and taking to task then Elk Grove City Councilmember Jim Cooper.

Neither Detrick nor Martin was admonished and told public comment on political and campaign matters during non-agenda times was banned speech. 

Ms. Wheat got under Singh-Allen's skin. This erratic and unprofessional behavior shows that for all her smiling bluster and social media posts, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen is as thin-skinned as Donald Trump and will do anything to suppress criticism.