Attachment 3 - Public Comment Received 1101 a.m Thursday May 27 through 1100 am Tuesday June 1 2021From: Phil Koen
Date: June 1, 2021 at 10:01:59 AM PDT
To: Matthew Hudes <MHudes@losgatosca.gov>, Rob Rennie <RRennie@losgatosca.gov>,
mbadame@losgatosca.gov
Cc: Jak Vannada, Lee Fagot, Peter Hertan, Catherine Somers
<catherine@losgatoschamber.com>, Heidi Owens, Ron Dickel, Rob Stump, Rick Tinsley, Rick
Van Hoesen
Subject: Reject this proposed change
Dear Independent Council Members,
The Policy Committee has recommended that the public should lose their right to pull items
from the consent calendar. The Policy Committee has not provided any rational for eliminating
this long standing ability to control the consent calendar. What is the problem they are trying to
solve? What other cities restrict the public’s ability to pull items from the consent calendar? I
know of none.
This is a fundamental right the public currently has which guarantees that the people’s business
is fully conducted in a transparent way and gives the people ultimate control over the Council’s
agenda. Removing the public’s ability to require the Council to publicly discuss an agenda item
that has been placed on the “consent calendar” materially reduces the deliberative process,
transparency and suppresses the public control over the agenda.
Currently the Mayor has the sole authority to place items on the consent calendar. The Mayor
has total control in determining whether an agenda item is “of a routine and non-controversial
manner”. What happens if the public has a different view than the Mayor and desires a
complete and public discussion? What then?
Just look at tonight’s agenda. Is it reasonable that only the second review of the FY 2022 budget
be considered as part of the “consent calendar”? I certainly don’t and hopefully you shouldn’t
as well. There are many unresolved issues, such as the use of $5.8m use of ARPA funds. But
there it is.
This is a poor policy change which materially diminishes the public’s long standing ability to
require full transparency to the decision making process and is meant to diminish the public’s
control over the Council’s agenda. It is mean spirited and purposely designed to reduce the
public’s ability to shape the Council’s agenda.
Please vote “no” on this change.
Phil Koen
ATTACHMENT 3