Council should put a gag on conduct law

Last month, the Los Altos City Council passed a meeting conduct code that allows for the strictest possible penalties for those violating it. It will probably never happen, but the new law enables councilmembers to impose fines and even jail time for those who run off at the mouth past the allotted speaker time. It also penalizes residents for speaking off the subject or talking out of turn.

This is akin to dropping a bomb to kill off pests in the garden. What happened to the mayor and other councilmembers exacting some assertiveness with windy speakers rather than seeking a legal remedy?

As far as we can tell, the action stems from two speakers who have regularly assailed the council on sewer issues. After years of hearings and thousands of residents addressing the council, are we to understand that the council is enacting a new conduct code on the basis of two speakers?

Yes, the new law is meant to be a deterrent. As mentioned earlier, the council in all likelihood will not resort to fines or jail. But speakers know this full well. So essentially, the new code is useless. If the council did exert its power to fine or jail someone for excessive speaking, the public fallout would not be favorable for the council.

What it does ultimately succeed in doing is discourage residents from participating in the public process. This is not the council’s intention, but the new conduct code leaves the impression that resident input at meetings is bothersome and not welcome.

City Attorney Jolie Houston said she thinks the new code can be a “very effective tool” and that such codes are in effect in other cities. We don’t know which cities she had in mind, but in Los Altos, charging misdemeanors for faulty speakers is pure overkill. There must be pressing issues more deserving of the council’s time. Put a gag order on this conduct code.

Heightened interest in preparedness

After years of underwhelming attendance, Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes conducted by the Los Altos Police Department are now filling up with residents seeking preparedness training. Initiated by former police chief Don Johnson, the department has expanded preparedness programs the past few years, culminating in the formation of a Citizens Corps Council to help guide the police disaster plans and the acquisition of a preparedness trailer. The trailer will stock everything from shovels to cots for injured residents. In addition, the city has an extensive emergency preparedness manual available online at www.ci.los-altos.ca.us.

The city is considering a fund-raising effort to purchase supplies for the trailer. Considering the heightened interest, now would be the time to do it.