by Bob Pinzler
On June 1, the Hermosa Beach City Council held a retreat. One of their discussions was titled “City Communications Plan and Protocols.” Part of its goal was to determine policies regarding how Council members should speak with the press about issues being dealt with by the Council before and after their public and decisions.
According to Mayor Massey, “Generally speaking, while there is no prohibition against an individual councilmember having communications with the press on an issue that is coming up on the agenda, or an issue decided by the council… indulging in conversation with the press in the lead up to a decision, or after a decision is usually something we want to leave to someone at the city, who will speak with one voice so the community doesn’t get conflicting messages.”
While there may be a modicum of rationale for not publicly discussing a specific agenda item prior to a meeting, the idea that further discussion should be snuffed out after a vote has been taken is merely an indication that a feeble majority does not want any member of a minority to be able to express a contrary opinion.
Hermosa Beach has a long history of City Council majority decisions morphing over time into the policies originally expressed by the minority. Without the option for the minority to speak to the press about their disagreement, the majority will not just be prevailing, but also bullying opponents into remaining silent, at least through the only medium providing Council coverage to the residents of the City.
There are many cities, and the number, sadly, is growing, where there is no local coverage of the Council activities. In those places, minority opinions have enormous difficulty getting heard. We are fortunate to have two vibrant outlets covering local activities and politics. Yet now the Hermosa Council wants to stifle the press from delving into the details of the arguments for and against and presenting them through a reportorial, not political, lens.
There is a very effective filter that many people, especially in law and government, use to determine the rationality of certain ideas. It is called the “reasonable person” test. If you stopped someone on the street and told them about a proposed rule dissuading their elected officials from speaking to the press on an issue of such import that it was discussed at an open City Council meeting, what would they say? My guess is that after you would get that tilt of the head that indicated the idiocy of it, the answer would be an emphatic “no.”
The majority of the Hermosa Council should put on their “big boy pants” and realize that not everyone agrees with them. Those opponents, including Councilmembers, have a right to speak in whatever forum they wish.
This “plan and protocol” should be abandoned, and they should get on with the business of the City, with everyone’s position being fully aired however they wish. ER
