Making Public Comments During Public Meetings

Sunnyvale’s public meeting agendas include opportunities for the public to address their representatives. Use this checklist to help prepare and deliver public comments.

Select the Appropriate Speaking Opportunity

Oral Communications

Portion of the meeting agenda following Roll Call/Special Orders of the Day which provides an opportunity for members of the public to address Council or Board/Commission on matters not listed on the agenda, including announcements related to community events, programs or recognition. This section is limited to 15 minutes with a maximum of up to three minutes per speaker. The Brown Act (Open Meetings Law) does not allow Councilmembers or Board Members/Commissioners to take action on an item not listed on the agenda. Individuals are limited to one appearance during this section.

Public Hearing or General Business

The public is invited to speak following the staff presentation on each item.

• Time limits – Speakers are typically allowed three minutes to speak on each item. The Chair of the meeting may reduce this time based on the number of people waiting to speak. An on-screen timer displays the speaker's remaining time. The Councilmembers and Board Members/Commissioners may ask follow-up questions.


• For land use items
  City Council/Planning Commission Meetings – project applicants and appellants are limited to a maximum of ten minutes for opening comments and five minutes for closing comments.

Request to Speak

Visit Meetings and Agendas for meeting location and online participation details.

• In-person participation: You may provide public comment by filling out a speaker card and giving it to the City Clerk or Recording Officer.
• Online participation: You may provide audio public comment by connecting to the meeting online or by telephone. Use the Raise Hand feature to request to speak (*9 on a telephone).

Create Effective Presentation Materials

While not necessary, speakers may use presentation materials to support their public comments. In most cases, presentation materials will appear on the display monitors in the meeting room, on Zoom, and on the City’s government access cable channel (AT&T Channel 99 and Comcast Channel 15), when the meeting is being broadcast (City Council and Planning Commission meetings are broadcast). To ensure materials display with the highest quality, follow these guidelines:

Presentation Slides^*

• Use an easy-to-read font such as Arial and a minimum of a 28-point font size.
• Do not fill slide to the edges – leave a border at least three-quarters of an inch on all sides.
• Graphics and charts should contain data and labels that are easy to read.

Video^*

• Videos (such as .mp4, .mpeg, .wmv) are generally used for special presentations only.
• The video length is included in the total allotted speaking time.
• Videos must be less than three minutes in length. If a video is longer than the time provided for speakers, the video will be stopped when the speaker's time is up.

Submit Presentation Slides and Videos in Advance

Speakers must submit presentation materials in advance to ensure they display properly and meetings run smoothly. Speakers cannot use their own computer or projection equipment for displaying presentation material. Submit materials to the following offices within the timeframes listed below:

• Presentation Slides – Submit electronic presentation slides, such as a PowerPoint presentation, no later than noon on the day of the meeting. Submit the presentation via email.
• Video – Submit video no later than noon on the day of the meeting. Submit the video via email.

Call the appropriate office below to confirm receipt. Emails, including attachments, cannot exceed 50 MB. Use the correct contact below to submit larger files.

• City Council Meeting – City Clerk Division, 408-730-7483, email City Clerk
• Planning Commission Meeting – Planning Division, 408-730-7440, email Planning
• For other public meetings, visit Boards and Commissions and use the appropriate contact email.

Deliver the Presentation

• Be prepared to advance the presentation. City Staff will share your content on screen and grant you remote control to move through your slides.
• Speak clearly into your microphone.

^*Live Spoken Public Comment Required

You may not fill your allotted time entirely with presentations and videos. You must include live spoken public comment. Individual speakers can't combine their times to show a longer video. Each speaker needs to submit their own video. Only short excerpts of copyrighted content should be used. For longer excerpts, the speaker must prove they own it, have permission, or it's in the public domain.