Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 16-130 IN SUPPORT OF YES ON PROPOSITION 54, THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE TRANSPARENCY ACT (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
California’s Proposition 54 is a state ballot initiative that, if passed, will give everyday voters more access to the legislative process. Although the State Constitution says legislative meetings are to be open to the public, few people are able to attend those meetings in person. Many proceedings go completely unobserved by the public and press, with no digital recording of what was discussed and/or voted on.
Proposition 54 would give the public time to read new legislation before it is passed, upload digitally recorded legislative meetings online so that meetings can be viewed as an alternative to only in person views. Proposition 54 also would allow the people to make their own videos of legislative meetings and share those recordings with others and post on social media.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. WAIVE further reading and ADOPT Resolution No. 16-130, “A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARSON, CALIFORNIA, SUPPORTING PROPOSITION 54.”
2. INSTRUCT staff to transmit a copy of the executed resolution to Jeff Kierman, Regional Public Affairs Manager, League of California Cities and Kristi K. Thielen with the Yes on 54 Campaign.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
DO NOT support Resolution No. 16-130.
IV. BACKGROUND
The opportunity to review bills and debate them on their merits should be performed in an open and public manner allowing legislators and residents to review and comment. Last-minute amendments to bills in the Legislature are brought forward without advance notice or public comment providing members of the Legislature with little to no opportunity to review or debate them. If passed, Proposition 54 would follow the lead of other states that require a 72-hour advance notice between the time a bill is prepared and made available to the public and the time it is put to a vote.
If passed, Proposition 54 will require the following:
Give the public and their elected representatives time to read legislation before its enacted. This will require that each bill must be in print and posted online for at least 72 hours before it may pass out of either house (except in cases of emergency when legislation is needed immediately).
Posting legislative meetings online so the public can watch. This will require lawmakers to post video of their meetings online within 24 hours, and keep a record online for at least 20 years so people can look up how a law was enacted. With the availability of modem recording technology and the Internet local governments already do this and have been for years.
Allow the right of all individuals to record and share what goes on in the Legislature. This will guarantee the right to record and publish recordings of legislative meetings, bringing lawmakers’ work transparent for all to see.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
None.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Memo dated Sept. 13, 2016, Re: Proposition 54 prepared by Townsend Public Affairs. (pgs. 3)
2. Resolution No. 16-130. (pgs. 4-5)
Prepared by: Lisa Berglund, Principal Administrative Analyst