1 Vernice Hankins
From: Bruce Leddy <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2022 7:49 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: May 24 Council Mtg Agenda Item 40A
EXTERNAL
Mayor and Council Members - I urge you to support hybrid meetings for Council and Commission meetings.
Civic participation is hard to galvanize when residents have busy lives, so anything that makes participation easier for the public should be encouraged. Yes, there are costs (though it seems hard to understand why it would require $94,000 of facility upgrades when we've already had successful remote participation for the past two years) but I feel the benefits to the democratic process and the greater participation by all stakeholders is well worth the expense.
In-person participation does cut down on non-resident interference, but perhaps call-in could be limited to only those who live and/or work in Santa Monica. When the clerk asks callers to state their name, they could also ask them to state their address or affiliation with the City (resident, business owner, etc).
I disagree with the proposal to hold all public comment at the start of the meeting. So much information is disseminated during staff and applicant presentations that might mitigate or alter people's questions, that it seems an unfair disadvantage to make the public comment beforehand.
Many thanks for your time and consideration.
Bruce Leddy
22 Year Santa Monica Resident
NOMA Executive Board
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THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF SANTA MONICA
P.O. Box 1265 Santa Monica, CA 90406-1265
Phone: 310.564.6946 www.lwvsantamonica.org
#MakingDemocracyWork
May 23, 2022
Re: City Council Agenda Item 4A
Dear Mayor Himmelrich, Mayor Pro Tem McCowan, and City Councilmembers, The League of Women Voters of Santa Monica is a nonpartisan political organization which encourages informed and active participation in government. We appreciate the Council’s efforts to explore options to allow for more robust and inclusive public input. As you continue to refine the policies for public meetings, we urge you to include options for remote public comment such as a call-in option, for all public meetings of the City Council and City Boards and Commissions.
Providing spoken public comment at City Council meetings, as well as Board and Commission meetings, is an important part of enabling active participation in government.
Unfortunately, the ability to provide spoken public comment has not always been accessible for all. When the COVID-19 pandemic began and all public meetings moved to remote meetings, a silver lining of this awful situation was greater accessibility for members of our community to provide feedback to our elected and appointed leaders.
When the Council returned to in-person meetings on April 12, 2022, without the option for remote verbal public comment, many constituents were once again limited in their opportunities to provide feedback in Council meetings. In-person meetings have always been inaccessible for some members of our community, and the pandemic has expanded the number of community members who are not able to attend in-person meetings. This includes people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19, people who serve as caretakers of children, partners, or other dependents, or any number of life situations that may restrict the ability of community members to attend in-person meetings to provide verbal public comment.
We acknowledge that all constituents also have the option to provide written public comments, such as this letter, and that all of these written public comments become part of the public record. However, there are limitations to written comments and allowing remote verbal public comment during City Council meetings is a vital part of not only enabling robust public participation in government but also increases the probability that Councilmembers will hear the comments.
In our City’s efforts to move forward towards becoming a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible community, it has become clear over the last two-and-a-half years that the ability to provide remote public comment is a necessity.
We urge you, the City Council, to take the necessary steps to make public participation in local government more inclusive, accessible, and equitable for all.
Sincerely,
Natalya Zernitskaya
President
League of Women Voters of Santa Monica
OFFICERS
President
Natalya Zernitskaya
Vice President, Program
Barbara Inatsugu
Secretary
Sharon Hart
Treasurer
Karen Carrey
DIRECTORS
Cathie Gentile
Jason Islas
Angela D. Scott
Ann Williams
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From: Danielle Charney <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 1:20 AM
To: Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems; Clerk Mailbox; David White Subject: Item 4 A Hybrid Meetings
EXTERNAL
City Councilmembers,
Hybrid meetings are important to equal representation of all residents and Santa Monicans in City government. Please support this expanded format for all City Council, Board, and Commission meetings going forward.
Remote meeting access is essential for disability access and other diverse local participation, including Santa Monicans who cannot attend for many reasons: maybe they have children, can't be up late and sit in the very uncomfortable seating in chambers due to neck and back injuries..lack cars or have any number of situations that make it hard to attend in person.
Hybrid meetings allow all Santa Monica residents equal opportunity to provide their input to City officials and influence local governance, which benefits us all.
In 2022, Santa Monicans have a fundamental right to remotely access and participate in City government. We need hybrid Council, Board, and Commission meetings immediately and permanently.
Please do not listen to the related staff recommendation. Staff does not consider what residents need. Please support and swiftly implement this crucial equitable public access.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Sincerely,
Danielle Charney
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2 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2022 10:42 PM
To: councilmtgitems; Sue Himmelrich; Gleam Davis; Kristin McCowan; Lana Negrete; Phil Brock; Christine Parra; Oscar de la Torre
Cc: David White; Denise Anderson-Warren; Susan Cola
Subject: Item 4A—SUPPORT HYBRID MEETINGS!
EXTERNAL
Dear City Councilmembers,
Hybrid meetings are vital to equal representation of all Santa Monicans in City government. I urge you to support this expanded format for all City Council, Board, and Commission meetings going forward.
Remote meeting access is essential for disability access and other diverse local participation, including Santa Monicans who:
• care for small children
• work late
• do not have reliable transportation
• are sick
• have other circumstances that prevent them from attending City meetings in person Hybrid meetings allow all Santa Monica residents equal opportunity to provide their input to City officials and influence local governance, which benefits us all.
In 2022, Santa Monicans have a fundamental right to remotely access and participate in City government. We need hybrid Council, Board, and Commission meetings immediately and permanently.
Please disregard the related staff recommendation and support and swiftly implement this crucial equitable public access.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Sincerely,
Michelle Gray
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From: Elaine Golden-Gealer <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 9:03 AM
To: councilmtgitems; David White
Cc: Elaine Golden-Gealer
Subject: Item 4a: SUPPORT hybrid meetings, support public input at top of meetings
EXTERNAL
Hello Councilmembers,
Shouldn't public meetings be as accessible as possible? Please allow for hybrid meetings and for residents to be able to call in if they are unable to attend in person for whatever reason, be it work, disability, childcare responsibilities, being out of town etc.
The public input period must be moved to the beginning of the meetings! No more waiting around for hours, sometimes past midnight!
Sincerely,
Elaine Golden‐Gealer
Santa Monica resident since 1977
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1 Vernice Hankins
From: [email protected]
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 10:44 AM
To: councilmtgitems; Christine Parra; Gleam Davis; Kristin McCowan; Lana Negrete; Oscar de la Torre; Phil Brock; Sue Himmelrich
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: City Council -- 5/24 item 4-A -- Hybrid meetings with call-in option -- SUPPORT!
EXTERNAL
May 24, 2022
To: Mayor Himmelrich and City Council members
From: Zina Josephs
RE: Agenda item 4-A -- Study Session --Discuss potential for hybrid meetings with a call-in option for all boards and commission meetings.
I get the feeling that this COVID pandemic is going to last forever. If we don't get people worldwide vaccinated, new variants will keep cropping up.
As a result, while I have no desire to attend in-person City Council meetings, or any other in-person events, I would like to retain the option to phone in public comments.
Thank you for your consideration.
Zina Josephs
Discussion and direction to staff on best practices to change the Agenda formatting to make Council meetings more efficient and consideration of cost and implementation of Hybrid meetings with a call-in option
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Review and comment on changing the Council meeting agenda formatting to make meetings more efficient;
2. Discuss potential for hybrid meetings with a call-in option for all
boards and commission meetings; and,
3. Provide direction to staff to come back with resolutions amending the
Rules of Order and Procedure for the Conduct of City Council meetings, and amending the Establishing Policies for City Boards, Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, and Regional Advisory Boards.
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From: OZ <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2022 12:01 PM
To: councilmtgitems
Subject: 4A - YES to hybrid meetings, YES to public input period at beginning of mtgs
EXTERNAL
“Democracy is the government of the people, for the people, by the people” – Abraham Lincoln. "Democracy Dies in Darkness" – Judge Damon Keith.
"If I could turn back time" - Cher
* * *
The pandemic has changed forever how the population of this planet communicates.
Teleconferencing is here to stay.
No, you can't turn back time.
The City must acknowledge the new normal and allow for hybrid meetings.
To counter some very strange statements in the staff report: public meetings are public, which means that anyone can participate, no matter where they are from or where they are physically located.
Santa Monica residents who are out of town should be able to call in to Council meetings.
Councilmembers have the right to call in, right? Didn't two Councilmembers call in two weeks ago? Incidentally, it was a meeting where the City Clerk and interim City Attorney refused to grant reasonable accommodation requests by two disabled residents who were asking to be allowed to call in. A clear case of discrimination where the Councilmembers can call in, but not residents...
The argument used by the staff that there was roughly the same amount of public comment prepandemic as there was during the pandemic via teleconferencing does not hold much water either.
The pool of people who attend in person is likely not the same pool of people who called in via phone or an app. The goal of public meetings is to be accessible to the general public, with the right to comment for everyone who wishes to attend and/or comment.
The argument used in the staff report that money could be saved by offering in-person meetings only in insulting to the public. It is the public's money, not the staff's. The meetings are for the public, not for the staff, and not for the Councilmembers. The Councilmembers have been hired by the public (via an election) to represent them. The staff's opinion here is meaningless.
The public input period must be moved to the beginning of the meetings. Otherwise there is a chilling effect where the citizens are effectively prevented from participating when they are unable to sit around for hours waiting to be able to speak for two minutes late at night.
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2 I'm including a link to https://publicinput.com/, which is an option to consider for offering hybrid meetings. I'm not affiliated with this company in any manner, and I cannot attest to the quality of their product, but it is an option to look into.
Regards,
Olga Zurawska
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