Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/public-comment/)
Keeping the public out of the loop has become an extreme sport for our elected class as well as the greatest threat to our democracy. In recent times, we’ve seen efforts here in Orange County to illegally restrict public comment, destroy public documents, squash dissenting council members, delay release of police misconduct records along with the murky process of monitoring state harassment investigations or changing federal regulations.
Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu instituted a rule that limits City Council discussion to two five-minute intervals on agenda items and his rule change caused issues as the last council meeting wore on.
After years of protest, the ACLU heads into superior court next month against the County of Orange seeking a court injunction against restrictive public comment rules. The hearing is scheduled for June 12 at 10 am in Dept. C25 in front of Judge Sheila Fell.
Following a systematic attack on public comment, the Orange County Board of Supervisors triggers a First Amendment lawsuit from the ACLU. It’s the second time in recent years that county supervisors have fumbled taxpayers into court — landing in federal court last year over civil rights violations involving the homeless.
Santa Ana City Attorney Sonia Carvalho adjourned Tuesday’s city council meeting in the middle of public comment while people were still waiting — some for four hours — to address a half-empty dais.
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) board of directors changed its public comment procedures without public notice or a vote by the entire board, which County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who sits on the board, and others said could be a violation of California open meeting laws.
County Counsel Leon Page is defending a ban on public commenters addressing supervisors by name, among other the ACLU claims is illegal. In response, ACLU officials say county supervisors will be set straight by the courts if they don’t change their policies.
In her first meeting as the chairwoman of supervisors, Michelle Steel limited speakers to just one minute during the public comment period. This was the latest in a series of moves supervisors have made in recent years to curtail speakers at the board’s public meetings.
While the citizens of Orange County were casting ballots on Election Day, the county’s elected Board of Supervisors voted to restrict how often and how long people can speak at public meetings.
The ordinance, under consideration by Costa Mesa City Council, would ban “unduly repetitive” public comments. Councilwomen Wendy Leece and Sandy Genis call it an attempt to restrict Mayor Jim Righeimer’s critics.