If you attend or view the Brea City Council meetings via television or online, you know Matters from the Audience is a regular, and often most interesting, part of the meeting.
Read more David Clayton-Thomas, powerhouse lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears, dead at 84
It is when anyone can come up to the microphone and comment on an agenda item or just state what’s on their mind. And they do.
People come up to the mic to comment on everything from the traffic and over development to barking dogs. As of July 1, the manner in which public comments are made at council and other public meetings is changing, thanks to the passage of Senate bill SB 707.
This bill is a modification of the Ralph M. Brown Act, enacted in 1953 to enable the public to attend and speak at local government meetings.
SB 707 gives the public opportunities to not only speak in person, but via telephonic service or two-way audiovisual methods. In Brea, the audiovisual method will be via Zoom and audio only. So you don’t have to comb your hair or change your shirt to Zoom in. Just speak up.
According to Liz Pharis, Brea’s public information officer, it will all start at the July 7 City Council meeting. For speaking about agenda items, the mayor will take the in-person comments first, then the ones via Zoom. Anyone who wants to speak on something not on the agenda will have a chance to do so at the end of the meeting.
If you don’t like to speak in person or over Zoom, you can still email your comments to [email protected]. If you want your comments addressed at that night’s meeting, they must be received by 3 p.m. on meeting day.
Being able to Zoom in comments to the council meeting will give more people, especially those who are unable to attend the meetings, the opportunity to have their say and connect with the City Council.
People planning to speak in person during Matters from the Audience will find there are no more speaker cards to fill out. Instead, at the City Council Chambers entrance, there is a kiosk for registering electronically to speak, and with a click, it goes directly to the City Clerk. People wishing to speak must register electronically prior to the beginning of the comment period.
Read more Buyer beware: Why Fannie Mae’s condo blacklist is likely to grow
Hard copies of the agenda are also available, plus there is a QR code to access it electronically.
Another change at recent council meetings is that public speakers no longer speak at the podium, but at a microphone stationed at the bottom of the staircase between the center and right-side seating.
During council meetings, the entrances to the dais, where the city staff and council members sit, and a podium is located, are closed off. At the June 16 council meeting, speakers seemed to have no problem accessing the microphone.
Not sure why they moved it. Maybe to keep the audience members behind the podium from making faces and gestures at comments made by speakers at the podium. The official word is that it was for safety. That’s probably it.
If you plan to speak at an upcoming City Council meeting, or want to do it via Zoom, go to cityofbrea.gov/agendas for more information and the new SB 707 requirements. And speak your peace.
“This is about making government more accessible, more transparent and more responsive to the people we serve while preserving the orderly operation of public meetings,” District 30’s Sen. Bob Archuleta said about SB 707,
Now it is your turn.
Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at [email protected].
Read more NHL draft: Ducks lack a 1st-round pick but are open for business