City of Santa Paula Social Media Policy and Terms of Use

The City of Santa Paula maintains various social media accounts to provide information to the public about events, news, and information happening in the City. Access to and utilization of this page is subject to these Terms of Use and any Terms of Use indicated by the social media platforms.

The City of Santa Paula welcomes your comments regarding City information and business. The City reviews comments after they have been posted. Since this page is public and visible to persons of all ages and diverse backgrounds, posts should be respectful, civil, and considerate of visitors.

Purpose: 

The City of Santa Paula recognizes the value of social media platforms to reach a broader audience to address the fast-changing way residents communicate and obtain information online. For this reason, the City has created and may create future City Social Media Accounts on Social Media Sites as a means to disseminate information regarding the City’s mission, meetings, activities, events, and current issues to members of the general public. These accounts are to be used solely for matters of City business, and the City welcomes the public’s comments on such matters. 

The City, however, has an overriding interest and expectation in protecting the integrity of the information and content posted through City Social Media Accounts.  Accordingly, these Terms of Use are intended to govern the public’s use of all City Social Media Accounts maintained and controlled by the City.   By accessing any City Social Media Account, you agree to these Terms in addition to any other applicable terms of use established by a Social Media Site.

Terms:

A.  General

1. Relationship to City Website.  City Social Media Accounts shall supplement, and not replace, the City’s official website (spcity.org), which shall remain the City’s primary source for online communication. To the extent possible, the City’s Posts on Social Media Sites shall link back to the City’s official website for forms, documents, online services, and other information necessary to conduct business with and/or in the City. However, in no event shall any Posting on any City Social Media Account page or Post be used in lieu of providing the City’s required notices and standard methods of communication.
   
   
2. Notice of Limited Public Forum.  The City’s Posts on Social Media Sites may entail communications directed to provide information to the members of the public regarding the City and neighboring communities, subject to the provisions of these Terms. By facilitating such communication, however, the City does not intend to create a designated public forum on any City Social Media Account page, Post, or comment. Accordingly, the City establishes its Social Media Accounts, Posts, and comments as limited public fora. The City reserves the right to change the character of its limited public fora into non-public fora for any reason.
   
   
3. City Responses to Posts.  City personnel authorized by the City Manager to maintain a City Social Media Account may, but are not required to, respond to comments or Posts through a City Social Media Account to the extent that such content relates to City business.   Postings from the public which ask fact-specific questions, or are a request for information, may be directed to the relevant department head at the City for appropriate response.  However, if the comment or question posed violates these Terms or any applicable law, the comment shall be hidden or removed consistent with the provisions of these Terms.  
   
   
4. No Legal Notice or Public Comment.  No communications made with the City through any City Social Media Account shall be deemed to constitute public comment or legal notice to the City or any of its agencies, officers, employees, agents, or representatives where notice to the City is required or permitted by any Federal, State, or local law, rule, or regulation. Any such comment or notice shall be submitted to the City as ordinarily prescribed and not through a City Social Media Account.  You can find contact information for the City department relevant to your inquiry or comment by visiting the City website.
   
   
5. Public Records Act.  All City Social Media Accounts are subject to the California Public Records Act. Any and all content maintained on or related to a City Social Media Account, including but not limited to a list of subscribers, posted communication and content, communication submitted for posting, and private messages, may be considered a public record subject to public disclosure.
   
   
6. City Disclaimer; No Endorsement. Any content by a member of the public sent to, published, or posted on or through any City Social Media Account, including without limitation a Post or a response to any City Post or comment, is the opinion of the commenter or poster alone, does not imply endorsement of or agreement by the City, and the City disclaims liability for any such content.  Comments may not be reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying City endorsement or approval of any viewpoint, product, service, entity, or organization. 

B.  Content Management

1. The City is committed to serving the online community in a civil and unbiased manner. 
   
   
2. All comments and Postings related to City Social Media Accounts will be subject to monitoring by the City Manager and/or his/her designee(s). 
   
   
3. Any content by a member of the public sent to, published, or posted on or through any City Social Media Account shall not contain any of the following:

1. Comments that are completely unrelated to the particular Posting being commented upon or the particular City Social Media Account being commented through
2. Solicitation of commerce
3. Commercial promotions or spam
4. Hyperlinks to material that is not directly related to the discussion
5. Comments in support of, or opposition to, political campaigns, candidates, or ballot measures
6. Profane or obscene language or content
7. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, or status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws
8. Sexual content or links to sexual content
9. Solicitations of commerce or other advertisement of commercial services, entities, or products
10. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity
11. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems
12. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, of any other party
13. Defamatory statements
14. Threats of violence or injury to any person, property, or organization

    4. The City reserves the right to remove or hide any content that is deemed by the City to be in violation of these Terms or any          other applicable law. 

    5. The City reserves the right to terminate the public’s use of City Social Media Accounts at any time, provided all public users             are prevented from Posting.

     6. The City will not edit your comments to make them compliant with these Terms of Use. Therefore, please ensure that any               comments comply with the Terms if you would like them posted. Any delay in removing non-compliant comments or                          Postings shall not be construed as approval of the comment or an exception to these Terms.

Privacy: To protect your personal privacy and the privacy of other persons, please do not include identifiable or sensitive information in your Posts, such as Social Security numbers, phone numbers, or addresses.

Hidden/Removed Content: Any content hidden or removed for violating these Terms will be retained by the City for purposes of the Public Records Act for at least two (2) years. Such content will be added to a log that includes the time, date, and identity (including username or screenname) of the poster when available. 

Release of Liability: By accessing a City Social Media Account, you agree to release the City (its agencies, officers, directors, employees, and agents) from claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with any dispute involving the posting of comments to or any other content on this site. In entering into this release, you expressly waive any protections (whether statutory or otherwise) that would otherwise limit the coverage of this release to include only those claims that you may know or suspect to exist in your favor at the time of agreeing to this release.

Amendments: These Terms may be updated or amended at any time by the City Manager with notice to the City Council and public before such updates or amendments take effect.