Open Government and Accountability

By Joe St Lucas

Spread the fun, get more people participating in the process. Don't make decisions in secret.

To provide more Open government, all City Council meetings should be televised. Since some people are extremely uncomfortable and feel intimidated at addressing the City Council directly at the meetings for public oral communications, an email system could be devised to provide input.

The "facts" that are used in the decision making process by the City Council should be known to the public without resorting to using the "Freedom of Information" act. A council member has said publicly that decisions are made with information that the public doesn't know about. Let's quote the philosophy from the Opening Statement of the Brown Act, especially read the 2nd paragraph.

"Declaration of Legislative Intent
54950. In enacting this chapter, the Legislature finds and declares that the public commissions, boards and councils and the other public agencies in this State exist to aid in the conduct of the people's business. It is the intent of the law that their actions be taken openly and that their deliberations be conducted openly.

The people of this State do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies which serve them. The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments they have created."