Proposal for 'English only' city council meetings sparks debate in Walnut, Calif.
By Caroline Tan, NBCLosAngeles.com
WALNUT, Calif. -- For Walnut residents who do not speak English, participating in City Council meetings and addressing local officials may soon become more difficult.
Council members voted 5-0 this week to postpone a decision on a proposal that would ask non-English speakers to provide their own interpreters for all Council proceedings, which would be conducted only in English.
But the prospect of English-only public meetings remains a distinct possiblity. A vote may happen later this month, when the council is scheduled to meet again on July 25.
Though a formal decision has yet to be made, the proposed English-only policy has already raised concerns among some local residents, who fear the move would violate civil rights and unfairly disadvantage a portion of the population. Nearly two-thirds of Walnut's residents and three of the five council members are Asian.
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