Council should publicly air study sessions on cable TV
Paul Bunney
Think of that popular sound bite, forcefully spoken by Ronald
Reagan: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down these walls,” referring to the
Berlin Wall. Take this powerful statement and just change the words
to our local situation: “City Council, broadcast your study
sessions.”
The first statement was made on the stage of international
politics by the president of the greatest nation in the world, the
second by an interested Costa Mesa resident who believes in open
local government.
Earlier this month, I attended a Costa Mesa study session at City
Hall. For those who are not familiar with city workings, the council
meets monthly, in a nonvoting session, to learn about current issues
and to discuss these items among themselves and with the city staff.
This meeting is held in a conference room located behind the main
council chambers.
At these meetings, the council members mainly deal with the
background information for items that are to be put on the agenda and
considered at the next regular council meeting. They also get reports
that are provided to increase their awareness of things like awards
the city receives, city staff plans, projects and the status of these
items. Also, there is a meeting agenda that is printed in advance of
the meeting and available on the city’s Web site.
Because there is a law that whenever council members meet with
three or more in attendance (essentially a quorum for a five-member
council), the meeting is normally required to be announced and the
public permitted to attend. The study session meets this requirement
for public participation, even though the few residents who are
typically in attendance are only involved in an essentially passive
mode as spectators.
At the few study sessions that I have been able to attend in the
recent past, there has been very little resident attendance. This is
probably due to the lack of awareness of this meeting, its start time
and duration, and the lack of the ability to participate actively in
the discussions. The meeting starts at 4:30 p.m., while most people
may still be at work, on the road driving home or doing the multitude
of tasks that are required to live in our society.
This inability of most Costa Mesa residents to attend this meeting
is unfortunate because important information is often presented at
these meetings. Many times, the staff reports and other information
presented provide the details of issues that do not surface when the
subject is considered later at the regular council meetings. Also,
the discussions, comments and questions by individual council members
provide important insights into their thinking on the matters being
considered.
The agenda for the study session earlier this month was a good
example of the items that are reviewed by our City Council at a study
session.
First, there was a staff presentation on the roadway and traffic
on West 19th Street and considerable discussion about options
available to the council. Then the next item reviewed was the
problems at TeWinkle Park with the fouling of the lake and the
deterioration of the surrounding area. The costs to fix the problems
might be as much as a million dollars if all the problems are
addressed.
Then, a presentation was made by Tom Naughton of the Airport
Working Group and Jack Wagner of the Orange County Regional Airport
Authority. They explained why we were starting to see significant
low-level air traffic in areas that until recently were not exposed
to this type of intrusion. They also provided information on what to
expect in the future, and it was not good from what I heard.
The next item was the plan for the celebration of Costa Mesa’s
50th Anniversary and the projection of the costs and proposed
activities. This was followed by a report on a joint-use agreement
between the city and the school district.
As you can see, these are all issues of importance. The
information presented and discussed deserves to be made available to
the public.
Because all the council members have in the past asserted their
belief in open government, I hope they will all support the cable
television broadcast of these important public meetings. Before the
structural renovation of our City Hall was started, the council
publicly stated an interest in televising their study sessions. Now
the cables have been routed, the cameras are in place and the
microphones are installed in the study session conference room.
All we need now is the vote by the council to opening their
meetings to a bigger audience in the interest of involving as many
residents as possible in the process.
Costa Mesa has invested time and money in the cable broadcast of
council meetings, Planning Commission meetings, Redevelopment Agency
meetings, other committee meetings and special events. Now let’s use
these same city resources to maximum advantage to increase the
awareness of more of our residents to the important city issues that
are reviewed in the study session.
* PAUL BUNNEY is a Costa Mesa resident.
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