By Herb Gura?Letters to the editor
Fifteen years as a public servant and an elected official have taught me something about the way democracy works best. The most innovative and creative ideas usually come not from us politicians and the professionals we hire, but from the other side of the table where the public sits. It may be time consuming and uncomfortable to listen to hours of public comment about an issue. We may start out thinking we already have the all the answers, but time and again I am surprised by some well-informed citizen who will step up to the microphone and provide a solution or at least the seeds of a solution that I have overlooked.
California law sets forth some pretty specific guidelines about the way public officials are to conduct the public”s business and the manner in which public meetings are to be run. A particular section of the government code known as the Ralph M. Brown Act, mandates that, with very few exceptions, all members of the public be permitted to address any issue before a vote takes place. I believe that the Clearlake City Council violated that law in limiting and then shutting down the public hearing on Provinsalia on Feb. 26. Even if the city”s lawyer can make some argument that the council acted technically within the law, (not likely,) it is poor public policy to treat the public as the enemy rather than the source of wisdom that they usually are.
Herb Gura
Lower Lake
