Things to try to do

By Ken Sandberg

Some things I would like to see about getting changed.

• Establish a real CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) for Simi Valley, not just training and then ignore the people.

• Change the campaign contribution law such that candidates and Council members can not accept money from people and businesses who have contracts/services with the City.

• Put all compaign contributions for Council members on the City web site in a searchable format and maintained for as long as the person holds office. Currently the information is available, but is not searchable since it is a scan of a document.

• Enforce the conflict of interest rules. This includes candidates who accept free advertising/endorsements from organizations which have business with the City, such as the POA. I have heard of a Council member change their view due to a text message from the POA.

• Require public notification when there is non-standard interaction with the police or other City departments and City Council members, Police officers or City Employees. Police officers should be required to report interaction with people which would be handled in a different manner than if it was just an average person. An example of this would be a story I saw on the news in which a police chief crashed a city vehicle (not Simi Valley) and it was attempted to be covered up. The police should not be allowed to provide special service to certain people without it being completely public.

• All new laws passed should be documented on the City's web site, along with what the vote was and should be maintained in an easy to see and search manner. Currently the information can be found, but it is not typically easy. For example, try to find the information on the change in Council Benefits and the re-definition of what a firearm is.

• Investigate installing right turn green arrows for traffic signals which have left turn arrows and no U-turns or which traffic the other way prevents pedestrians from crossing the street. This would help to keep traffic flowing and to reduce pollution, as well as saving people money due to reduced fuel consumption.

• Require ALL communication sent/received during a public meeting to be public. If you notice, Council members are sending and receiving text messages and having private conversations during Council meetings.

• Allow for real communication between the City and the public. People should be able to ask the City questions in public and get answers in public. Currently, you can speak for 3 minutes at a Council meeting, which is seems that you are actively ignored, but you can not demand answers to questions.

• Make the questions which candidates can ask the City public. Currently candidates can ask the City questions, but all of this information is not public unless a candidates decides to do so, like I have done.

• Allow for residents to ask the City questions and have those questions and answers posted on the City's web site. It is YOUR City, not theirs, so you deserve to be able to ask what is going on.

• Allow for more communication/interaction with Council agenda items. Currently the agenda is sent out Friday night for a Monday meeting. This does not give the public time to give response to issues. There also should be a delay in when the item is discussed initially and when it is voted on. The Council meetings are made available on the public access channel and on the web site (after the meeting), but there is no opportunity for the public to give feedback unless you are actually at the meeting. Also, after the public speaks, the Council has a discussion, but the public has NO ability to address issues raised in the Council's discussion. The public should have another opportunity to speak after the Council discussion and this should continue until just before the vote. The public should have the last word. Also, there should be a delay from when the item is discussed to when it is voted on to allow those viewing the initial discussion remotely.