Tuesday is Dues-day: Sunshine Ordinance

Tuesday is Dues-day. The dues are schooling yourself on how our local governance is organized, who are the players, what are the screw-ups, where is the money and what things get reported?

You’re a citizen, an advocate for democracy with this first step, paying attention.

Introducing Oliver and Duff yesterday as the new guys, was intended as a welcome by proxy of a large community of people who may, like both Olivier and Duff, have just begun learning the ropes at Encinitas City Hall. Begging indulgence, I’d like to use their recent experiences specifically with this GPU snapshot in time to frame the idea of enforceable proscriptions through a Sunshine Ordinance’s in Encinitas.

The new guys give us the fresh eyes of what the city appears to be saying and doing. We’ll use these new guys’ experience of last fall’s melodramatic council majority and crony outrage tour de force. Veterans have watched this particular road show over the years to create political fanfare in an election season. So the tendency could be, “nothing to see here folks, move along, it’ politics as usual for this crew.”

But the new guys are mobilized to protect their own, and speak out. Moreover, though it initially sounded like they took the city's mayor, staff and seemingly reliable business people at their word that their best interests are at last going to be recognized and appreciated; now it grow more apparent that there is an unfolding understanding of more. 

Today's Sunshine Ordinance tip isn't a lesson in how the law reads as the newspapers (in print and online) will be filled with these facts all week. This citizen tip is for all newly activated people in New Encinitas and the other four communities regarding much needed sunshine on the General Plan Update, the ERAC and other council majority-inspired antics. Be aware of these dubious points and the potential violation each represents under current state laws:

• Pre-arranged or serial meetings amongst three or more council members. 
• Misrepresenting city contracts and procedures for political positioning. 
• Acting on non-agendized actions within meetings. 
• Misstating staff involvement in agenda
• Forming an advisory group without public disclosure; including applicant information or criteria for selection. 
• Changing meeting times without adequate notification and lawful time requirements. 
• Unstated goals and mission for citizen advisory group. 
• Unrecorded (that is, no city video) meetings for advisory group. 
• No accountability for . . . whatever lies ahead sans consultant contract or staff mandate. 
• No timeline or budget targets and no measure of success outside mayor and deputy mayor’s private targets. 

This list is speculative as the budget at Encintias You Need Us for investigative time (zero) and resources (zero) disallow pursuing the full truth of each. Please consider the following as homework; pick 1 or all:

1        email the mayor and deputy mayor to say you are watching and you want sunshine / full transparency:

·  Mayor Jerome Stocks jstocks@encinitasca.gov

·  Deputy Mayor Kristin Gaspar kgaspar@encinitasca.gov

2        email Teresa Barth to thank her for initiating Sunshine Ordinance goals for Encinitas for years now.

·  Teresa Barth tbarth@encinitasca.gov

3        watch for Patch and Coast News articles this week and please leave comments on articles related to Sunshine and Transparency in City Government.  

These are the dues for now, go and demand some sunshine. That is all.