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Wanted to take a sec to break down a few bits of info about how public comment works
and also to say that it's okay not to know this stuff, it's intentionally confusing, and electeds take advantage of that to keep us from being able to make our voices heard!
(thread)
and also to say that it's okay not to know this stuff, it's intentionally confusing, and electeds take advantage of that to keep us from being able to make our voices heard!
(thread)
In 1953 CA passed the Brown Act which was designed to ensure that the public has access to how legislative bodies are making decisions and that the public is given an opportunity to voice our opinions on such decisions.
We, the people, deserve to be informed and involved.
We, the people, deserve to be informed and involved.
This means a few things:
All meetings of a legislative body are open to the public. This is to make sure that decisions that impact the public aren't being made behind closed doors.
(obviously this still happens and is a time-honored LA City Council tradition)
All meetings of a legislative body are open to the public. This is to make sure that decisions that impact the public aren't being made behind closed doors.
(obviously this still happens and is a time-honored LA City Council tradition)
The Brown Act also states that all meetings must have a publicly-posted agenda at least 72 hours in advance of each meeting so the people can have time to read and prepare ahead of a meeting. No item not agendized can be discussed.
"Special meetings" only require a 24-hr heads up, which is something our council often takes advantage of when they want to sneak something in and give us less of a lead time to organize.
The Brown Act also is what sets the guidelines for how public comment works. There are 2 types of public comment required: general public comment (about anything having to do w/ the city's work) and public comment specifically for items on the agenda
Legislative bodies are only required to allow 1 public hearing/comment for each item. Sometimes that comment time will happen in a committee meeting, sometimes it'll happen in a regular city council meeting. If they don't want to hear about something, they'll hide it in committee
So, for example, tomorrow's Item 28 regarding the budget was already discussed at today's committee meeting so it's unlikely we'll be given specific time to talk about that item again in the regular meeting. We'll have to address it in general public comment which is only 1 min
The only workaround here would be if a CM like @mikebonin calls for the item to be made "Special" which would mean it'd get its own, separate comment time where all comments HAVE to be about that item and there is no general public comment otherwise
Items being made Special can be good because it gives the public more time to call in and comment. However, sometimes it's used to confuse us because it means we all call in for the regular meeting and the item is no longer listed there and we have to call in again.
The Brown Act does not stipulate an exact amount of time required for commenting and allows each legislative body to determine a "reasonable" amount of time both in terms of total commenting time for all commenters and time per comment.
As many people have figured out, the way to get the most time to comment is to say you want to speak on all items AND general public comment. The risk is that if you say you're speaking on all items but talk about something not agendized you could get cut off
Additionally, while it's nice to have as much time as possible to talk, it does mean you leave less time for others to comment. If a bunch of NIMBY bootlickers are calling in then take your sweet time, but if fellow organizers are waiting on the line then say your shit and go!
I'm a big fan of writing out my public comment while I'm waiting on the line or the day before.
I get nervous when I have to speak publicly off the cuff and find that I speak more clearly and effectively when it's already written down.
Just a little tip!
I get nervous when I have to speak publicly off the cuff and find that I speak more clearly and effectively when it's already written down.
Just a little tip!
You'll also notice that CMs will gladly run down the clock on public comment time by allowing prank callers or by dragging out wait time between callers. They aren't used to having to hear from us all the time. Sucks to suck!
Also, it's nice to have a variety of perspectives (as long as they're good compassionate perspectives lol) and approaches to comments. Some folks are great at being super aggressive, some are better at talking stats, some are better at emotionally compelling stories. Cool!
Hitting different points in different ways is a good way to cast a wide net while staying unified and organized. For example, my CM Paul Koretz loves animals so sometimes I like to throw in something about animals to get his attention. IDK you do you!
Lastly, while public comment during meetings is important and effective, I cannot stress how important it is to be calling your CM regularly. If their staffers are constantly tied up taking messages from constituents, they're gonna hear those messages. https://twitter.com/sophielstrauss/status/1326972980639875072
SORRY I LIED THERE'S MORE! LA City Council is notorious for sneakily defying the Brown Act. It's part of why they vote unanimously so often, they've usually pre-discussed stuff and decided how they're going to vote to avoid scrutiny and mayhem. It's shitty and undemocratic.
The last few months we've done a really good job of breaking that practice down and forcing public discussion of issues and surprising them with non-unanimous votes. They also use small clauses of the Brown Act to keep us on our toes. The more we know the less they can do that
oh wait there's more! THIS! You can give your first name, a fake name, or no name. You don't owe them that info https://twitter.com/icookedfor/status/1336140002388951042?s=20
