If you happen to be in Hamburg, Germany, this afternoon and have something to tell the Anaheim City Council about an item on its closed-session agenda, stop by the Madison Hotel.
Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, who is the city’s representative to the Orange County Transportation Authority, is in Germany on a trip paid for by the German government to inspect their rail and other transportation systems. She’ll participate in the closed session portion of Tuesday’s City Council meeting by telephone or Internet hookup from her hotel.
German firms have been promoting their high-speed and other technology both for the possible 520-mile route from Anaheim to San Francisco and for a privately financed plan to connect Los Angeles to Las Vegas with a branch to Anaheim.
Voice of OC sent Galloway an email in Germany asking for details of her trip, including a daily itinerary and who is paying thre cost. Voice of OC sent a similar email to the German Embassy in Washington.
Here is Galloway’s reply:
The German government is paying for the trip which ends on the 12th. No other entity is paying. I do not know now what the value is however I will find out as soon as possible after I return home. There are about 20 other people from all over the world along with me to learn about the German rail system, technology and costs. I am not sure who will pay for the telephone costs for the meeting tonight.
There are two items on the Anaheim City Council closed-session agenda at 4 p.m. this afternoon. One is a briefing by the city’s lawyers on a case titled City of Anaheim, California — FERC Docket No. ER11-3594-000. The other is the council’s evaluation of City Manager Tom Wood’s performance.
The council last month cut Wood’s authority to sign contracts without council approval, reducing the maximum from $250,000 to $100,000. Galloway was the only council member who voted against cutting Wood’s spending authority.
The council will meet as usual in Anaheim City Hall. Members of the public may not sit in on the closed session, but there is a public comment period, both in Anaheim and in Hamburg, in accordance with California’s public meeting law.
If you want to speak to the council from Germany, go to the Madison Hotel lobby. A notice will be posted with the number of a hotel room with telephone or Internet connection to Anaheim.
