San Diego

The City Council Rules Committee unanimously recommended Monday that $54,000 be appropriated from the city’s cable television revenues to continue for one year the telecasting of council meetings on Cox and Southwest cable television stations. Since 1983, council meetings have been taped for evening telecasts on Cox and Southwest local access channels, although the money to pay for the broadcasts previously had come from the city’s general fund.

Councilman Mike Gotch said the expenditure should come from the cable revenue “because those people without cable are not able to pick up the service.”

“Despite the absence of publicity,” Gotch said, “the (telecasts of council meetings) have been a real success. They bring the council into the homes of the people.”

Gotch, along with Councilmen William Jones and Bill Mitchell, chided the the cable companies for refusing to telecast the meetings for free as a public service.

“But regardless,” Jones said, “it’s our responsibility to provide as much information as possible on how our city government works.”