Supervisors Reject Televised Night Sessions

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected proposals aimed at increasing public access to county government by holding board meetings at night and broadcasting them on cable television.

Community activists have long pushed both ideas, which backers insist would improve residents’ understanding of county government and help restore its bankruptcy-battered credibility.

“This will allow for far greater public access to the process . . . at a time when this board is viewed as arrogant to public concern,” said Supervisor Don Saltarelli, who proposed the switch from morning to night sessions. “It would affirm that [the board] is not afraid of doing the public’s business in public forums.”

But Saltarelli could not even win a second to his motion, and the proposal died. Supervisor Marian Bergeson’s plan to televise board sessions met the same fate.

The other supervisors expressed concerns that night meetings could push key decisions past midnight, and that television cameras might prove more of a distraction than an enhancement.

Supervisor Jim Silva said that when he served on the Huntington Beach City Council, residents regularly spent four hours “getting in front of the camera . . . and, I assume, having their moment in the sun.

“Both the council and the public play to the camera,” he added. “It creates a circus atmosphere.”

Supervisor William G. Steiner said the marathon evening meetings he endured while on the Orange City Council and school board sometimes prevented officials from thoughtfully examining issues.

“Decisions become driven by exhaustion instead of good policy-making,” he said.

Officials and activists have been debating ways of enhancing the public’s ability to observe Orange County government in action ever since the county plunged into bankruptcy in December 1994.

Within weeks of the bankruptcy filing, the board converted one weekly meeting per month into a night session in an attempt to make at least some sessions accessible to residents who work during the day.

At first, the night meetings lured dozens of concerned residents. But as the bankruptcy crisis stabilized, public attendance dropped significantly. Earlier this year, several department managers admitted that they avoided placing major items on night agendas.

“Our one night meeting is a farce. The department heads avoid putting anything controversial on the agenda,” Saltarelli said. “I’ve been here long enough to see the current system is dysfunctional.”

By holding two night meetings per month, board members would have more time to review agenda items and gain more input from the public, he added.

When Saltarelli’s motion failed, Bergeson’s proposed that the board convert to a night meeting schedule and televise sessions on cable television. “This allows for participation . . . for people who find it difficult to get up to Santa Ana,” she said.

The county’s General Services Agency studied the idea earlier this year but found no cable companies willing to televise the meetings live. The county would also have to pay for lighting and sound improvements at the boardroom and install a television control room.

Most Orange County cities as well as many school districts currently televise their government meetings, often live. But because cities control cable franchises, they have more leverage than the county in having cable companies broadcast their meetings and in some cases help pay for the needed equipment.

Several of California’s largest counties, including San Francisco, Riverside and San Diego, have recently moved to televised board meetings. Los Angeles County began broadcasting its meetings last year at an annual cost of $330,000.

Instead of more night meetings, Steiner asked County Chief Executive Officer Jan Mittermeier to develop a list of critical county issues that the board could examine during evening “study sessions.”

Such meetings, he said, would give the public an opportunity to probe and offer testimony on issues before the board take votes.