Salt Lake City adopts new banners, sidestepping pride flag ban
Hours before a pride flag ban took effect in Utah, three new official Salt Lake City flags emerged, all featuring the white sego lily that's already present in the city banner, but with a few notable substitutions.
One features rainbow colors, similar to the LGBTQ+ flag; another one, light blue, pink and white stripes, similar to the transgender flag; and the last, a bursting star, emulating the Juneteenth flag.
It was already a busy night for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall, who was scheduled to present her budget proposal to the City Council on Tuesday evening, but with a looming deadline for a new law prohibiting nearly all flags, the council amended its agenda to include a discussion to allow the new city banners.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
But, by turning the pride, transgender and Juneteenth banners into official municipal symbols, the city could sidestep the policy.
'As mayor, I have a duty to lawfully uphold the values of our nation, state and our city,' Mendenhall said. 'I know that the values of diversity, equity and inclusion are not only right and just, but they are fundamental to America, even through all its struggles to uphold them.'
The City Council embraced the change, voting unanimously to adopt the flags.
'It's not a coincidence that we have a majority of LGBTQ council,' council member Darin Mano said. 'It's because this is the place within not just Utah, but within many states surrounding us, where people like us feel safe. And I think there's a reason why people like us feel safe to both live here and also raise our hand to be a leader of a community in Salt Lake City, and so this is important and critical for us as a city, but more importantly for the people that live here to know that Salt Lake City continues to be a safe space for everybody.'
Other council members commended the mayor for the bold move and called Tuesday a historic moment in the city.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Idaho, which passed a similar flag ban last month, the Boise City Council also voted Tuesday to adopt the pride banner as an official city flag.
This year the Utah Legislature passed HB77, a bill that prohibits schools and government entities from displaying flags unless they are allowed in a prescriptive list that includes the U.S. flag, the state flag, military flags, Olympic flags, college or university flags, and the flags of local cities. Gov. Spencer Cox allowed the bill to become law without his signature, effectively banning pride flags from being displayed in public buildings starting this Wednesday.
Legislative leaders expressed disappointment in the city's action with House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, calling it 'a clear waste of time and taxpayer resources.'
'This law is about keeping government spaces neutral and welcoming to all. Salt Lake City should focus on real issues, not political theatrics,' Schultz said in a statement.
Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, also described the mayor's decision as disappointing, saying it diverts time and resources 'away from real pressing community needs.'
'It's disappointing that Salt Lake City is diverting time and resources away from real pressing community needs in an attempt to bypass state law,' Adams said in a statement. 'The intent of this bill is to help ensure that government buildings remain neutral, focused on serving the public and welcoming to all.'
New official Salt Lake City flags, unveiled a few hours before the enactment of a law banning most flags from schools and other public buildings (Courtesy of Salt Lake City)
After the flags were unveiled, Sen. Dan McCay, R-Riverton, who sponsored the bill in the Senate, made three montages of flags mocking Salt Lake City's action; one with a symbol of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an Israel flag, and one that reads 'MAGA Country.'
'Proud of Erin for being so inclusive with the new 365.25 flag initiative,' McCay wrote on X.
Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, the main sponsor of the bill, said in another post, 'Does Salt Lake City really want to play these games? Good luck!'
The remarks quickly made it to the City Council chambers with council member Victoria Petro challenging Utahns to demand better after reading the comments.
Let us know what you think...
'This is our future. We are the fastest growing state in the nation. We have 45 guaranteed legislative days a year, and more time was spent on flags and bike lanes in the capital city than homelessness or the drying Great Salt Lake. Demand better,' she said. 'This cannot be a policy arms race for one viewpoint, for one culture war side to triumph over another. Bad policy demands bad outcomes for that policy.'
Mendenhall said that it isn't new for the city, a blue dot, to be in conflict with the Legislature's Republican majority that approved HB77. However, the country is designed to be able to navigate conflict, she added.
'We can decide to disagree respectfully or disagree better, as our good governor often says,' she said.
The passage of the bill, she said, made city officials reflect on whether the regular blue and white Salt Lake City banner represents Utah's capital. Instead of flying a single flag, the city would represent its values with banners that have normally flown every year of her administration.
'I have given this so much thought, and I do not do this lightly, and my sincere intent is not to provoke or cause division,' Mendenhall said. 'My intent is to represent our city's values and honor our dear diverse residents who make up this beautiful city and the legacy of pain and progress that they have endured.'
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Push to weaken Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's power to issue debt narrowly fails
CHICAGO — A City Council push to wrest power away from Mayor Brandon Johnson and his successors by requiring more aldermanic support to issue debt narrowly failed to advance Monday. The City Council's Finance Committee voted 17-to-16 to reject an ordinance that would have raised the vote threshold from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority. The measure would have sharply weakened the control of Johnson and future mayors over debt issuances, making it harder to raise money for infrastructure spending. Before the vote, sponsor Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, said the higher bar would force Johnson to work more closely with aldermen to pass bond plans and help Chicago avoid future credit downgrades. 'We cannot let this administration take on more debt and strap future Chicagoans with the bill,' Quinn said. 'It's time to be a more co-equal branch, partner and voice in City Hall. If not, what are we doing here?' But while Johnson critics praised the move as fiscally responsible, mayoral allies blasted it as a reckless effort to block the City Council majority's will. 'Essentially what this rule would do is empower a small group of people to hold everybody else hostage,' Budget Committee Chair Ald. Jason Ervin, 28th, said. 'This is not designed to help us. It is designed to empower a very small group of people who seem to be hellbent on driving us over a cliff.' Quinn introduced the measure in February as aldermen passed Johnson's $830 million bond plan in a close 26-to-23 vote. At the time, the Southwest Side alderman and other mayoral opponents blasted the plan's repayment structure as back-loaded and irresponsible. Fitch Ratings shifted the city's financial outlook to 'negative' in May. Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, argued before the vote Monday the measure could help rebuild confidence in a government that he said many Chicagoans do not trust. 'The people of Chicago don't trust government,' O'Shea said. 'What I've witnessed here these last two years, with our government — I'm talking about this building, this room — they're not wrong.' The Johnson administration has often lied to him in budget discussions, he added. 'There is not enough real, honest communication,' he said. 'If we communicate with each other, and enough information is provided to us, then we can make difficult decisions.' Earlier in the meeting, the committee advanced a $400,000 settlement to pay a woman injured after falling on a broken sidewalk. Aldermen also advanced $35.2 million in settlements related to wrong-location police raids, police misconduct and a botched police chase. Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, alluded to that broken sidewalk to push back against the debt ordinance. It is 'disingenuous' to say the city's infrastructure must be improved while making it more difficult for improvements to be made. 'I appreciate the desire for transparency… but there's a political reality that I recognize,' he said, referring to the committed bloc of aldermen who oppose most Johnson moves. Ald. Nicole Lee, 11th, said she could not remember when aldermen last hit 34 votes on a meaningful piece of legislation. 'I'm just really not sure we're going to be able to get to two-thirds,' Lee said before voting against the measure. While Johnson weathered the effort to take power away from him, the tight vote embodied many of the struggles he has had in winning over aldermen and controlling legislation, and not just because of what the ordinance sought to do. Johnson's appointed mayor pro tempore, Ald. Sam Nugent, 39th, used her position's powers to cast a vote against Johnson's position, even though she is not a committee member. Before Ald. Timmy Knudsen, 43rd, voted for the ordinance, he suggested he would have preferred a compromise. Knudsen had months ago proposed new guardrails on bond authorization to limit interest totals and back-loaded repayment schedules. But Johnson's administration would not agree to the policy he argued would have been a more moderate compromise, he said. 'Through months of good faith and transparent negotiation, I felt really confident that we were going to get somewhere,' he said. 'Two-thirds at least will get us the kind of negotiation leverage we need.' Aldermen did not consider whether or not they would replace the state's expiring 1% grocery tax with a 1% tax of their own. The lack of consideration on the thorny question sets up more discussion in September, when the City Council would need to quickly pass the tax if it plans to make the state's Oct. 1 deadline to do so. ____
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Hochul calls for heightened federal drone defense strategy
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has called for a heightened federal drone defense strategy, following reports of drone sightings in the Northeast towards the end of 2024 'I am writing to you with respect to the critical need for federal action regarding the threat posed by unmanned aerial systems (UAS), commonly known as drones,' Hochul said in a letter to President Trump last week. 'As you are aware, late last year, the New York City area and the Hudson Valley experienced concerning UAS sightings that underscored the inadequacy of the federal government's posture and the constrained ability of state authorities to detect and mitigate these threats,' she added. Hochul wrote two letters, one addressed to President Trump and another addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-S.D.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). Drone sightings rattled multiple Northeastern states, most notably New Jersey, in late 2024. Former President Biden's administration said in December that the drones were not a national security or public risk. 'In early June, the Ukrainian military launched a successful surprise attack against Russian strategic air forces using drones,' Hochul said in her letters 'This serves as a stark reminder of the evolving and significant danger these systems present. An attack against strategic military and critical infrastructure in New York poses an urgent danger to the United States.' 'I urge the Administration to proactively improve the UAS detection and mitigation posture in New York and for Congress to extend existing authorities and expand states' abilities to detect and mitigate these threats themselves,' the Empire State governor added. The Hill has reached out to the White House, Thune's office, Schumer's office, Johnson's office and Jeffries's office for comment.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lack of funding in state budget will shutter two facilities for homeless veterans
MADISON - Two of Wisconsin's veterans homes will shutter this fall, after the Legislature failed to include funding for them in the budget signed earlier this month. The facilities in Chippewa Falls and Green Bay will close by Sept. 20, according to a July 14 news release from Gov. Tony Evers. The third facility, located in Union Grove, will remain open. Evers blasted the Republican-led Legislature for not providing additional funding to the Veterans Housing and Recovery Program, which offers temporary housing, training and other support services to veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 'We make a promise to our veterans that when they return home to their civilian life, we will support and serve them just as they have supported and served us. Our veterans should not have to worry about being able to afford to keep a roof over their heads. Period,' Evers said. "The bottom line is that there will now be fewer options for homeless veterans as a result of the Legislature's irresponsible decision to reject the investments that I proposed." Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Bond also decried the lack of funding. 'We have a duty to support veterans, especially in their darkest times,' he said in the release. 'Even with these closures, we remain committed to assisting veterans and connecting them to resources. VHRP has been integral in helping veterans find stability and succeed in their communities, and along with our partners on the ground, we intend to still carry out that mission to the best of our ability.' Applications for Chippewa Falls and Green Bay will stop being reviewed after July 14, according to the release. Those living at the facilities in Chippewa Falls and Green Bay will be offered alternative placement options and will continue to receive assistance through other services. Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, and Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee of the Legislature, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the closure of the homes. Evers included $1.9 million for the Veteran Housing and Recovery Program in his proposed budget this year, which was cut by Republicans as they put together their version of the budget. The final budget, which Evers signed into law at 1:30 a.m. on July 3, featured some compromise between Democrats and Republicans on items such as University of Wisconsin funding and tax cuts, but on other issues there was no agreement. According to a report by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau earlier this year, Wisconsin has 351 or more homeless veterans, according to point-in-time counts conducted across the state. The populations at the different homes vary depending on the season, the report says, with the average occupancy taking up about 70% of the beds in the state. The report said uncertainty of federal funding and rising cost of staffing the facilities could result in at least one location closing. Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@ and on X @SchulteLaura. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin facilities for homeless veterans to close over lack of funds
