Orange County Board of Supervisors votes to not fly Pride flag outside county property

The Orange County Board of Supervisors has voted against flying the Pride flag outside county property. 

The motion passed by a slim margin of 3-2 with Supervisors Vicente Sarmiento and Katrina Foley being the two dissenters.

"By taking this rash decision of banning the Pride flag from all County property and our County parks and facilities undermines the work we've done as a Board to ensure Orange County is a fair, inclusive, and welcoming place to live, work, and visit for every member of our community," Foley said in a statement. 

Vice Chairman Andrew Do, who introduced the bill, said the new policy aims to prevent the county from supporting any particular group. Under the new ordinance, the county will now only fly federal, state and county flags.

"The decision to prohibit flying the Pride flag during Pride Month sends the wrong message to our LBGTQ community and the values of most Orange County residents," Foley said. 

The decision to restrict the banners outside county property comes after Huntington Beach voted to limit which flags would fly on the staff outside their city hall. The motion, which was passed in February, limited the approved banners to government flags and the POW/MIA flag.