1 Stevenson, Garrett
Subject: FW: ED Tech Item #1
From: Blair Miller < >
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2023 12:09 PM
To: Stevenson, Garrett <[email protected]>; Hampton, Tyron <[email protected]>; Rivas, Jessica <[email protected]>; Lyon, Jason <[email protected]>; Madison, Steve <[email protected]>
Subject: ED Tech Item #1
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Chair Hampton and Council Members Rivas, Madison and Lyon,
I am writing on behalf of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition to comment on Item #1 on your January 31st agenda.
We understand that there are significant budget considerations for the City of Pasadena in creating a hybrid option for meetings. However, we believe that making discussions and decisions transparent to the voters is a key function of the government. Hybrid meetings make it easier for working people, people with disabilities, people with compromised immune systems, and people with families to take part in Council meetings, learn about issues and solutions, and voice their concerns.
These comments use the Transportation Advisory Commission (TAC) as an example, but can be extrapolated to all Commissions.
It is true that, as the Staff Report states, there are "multiple" ways for the public to comment. They include 1) submitting a physical letter, 2) submitting an email, or 3) submitting a comment that is read aloud by staff.
However, this is static, one-way communication, and it is the only option for public participation at TAC, unless you have the privilege to attend the meeting in person.
Without the ability to see and hear staff presentations and Commissioner questions, voters lose the ability to learn along with Commissioners, which degrades the quality of public participation.
We support the investment of public funds in staff and technology that will allow for greater participation for all Pasadenans. Here are some specific questions and suggestions:
1) The Transportation Advisory Commission is now meeting in person in the City Hall Basement Training Room, which is outfitted with multiple screens. Could the equipment be updated to add fixed cameras and microphones to enable the meeting to be broadcast on Zoom?
The Training Room would then be an alternate permanent location for public meetings, where department staff could run the Zoom meetings as they had during the pandemic. This would not require the same level of staff as remote meetings, and so may reduce the projected cost. Also, the Training Room may work well for other Commissions, such as the Design Commission. 2 2) Even if the Training Room cannot be outfitted with cameras for real-time broadcast, the audio of the meeting could be broadcast in real time with no special equipment. This would allow commenters to call in with comments on an item _after_ they have heard staff presentation and Commissioner questions.
3) Finally, it would be helpful to have the participation numbers in the City Commissions and Committees compared to pre-pandemic participation, not only April to September 2022 and January 2023. Perhaps Committee members could request that data from staff for the report that gets forwarded to Council.
Thank you,
Blair Miller
On Behalf of the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition