Letter to Editor:
Just because a government meeting is open to the public does not also ensure it is accessible to a majority of the public.
Given that most of the public is working (or engaged in post high school education), simply ensuring that a meeting meets the legal standard of being open is not enough. Meeting times should be reasonably convenient to the majority of the public to allow for their participation in the democratic process. Additionally, meeting times should be set so as not to exclude working people or adult students from serving in elected offices.
The Grossmont Healthcare District board meeting time of 9 a.m. is out of alignment with other so-called special districts (non Federal, State, or City governments) across the county. The time is simply not reasonably accessible for working people and many adult students. The most recently elected board member Nadia Farjood is one of these working people, and the unwillingness of the board to change their meetings to a later time places her in the unacceptable position of choosing between her job and elected position on the board.
At the December meeting board member Farjood made a motion to change the meeting time to 5 p.m., but she was unable to secure a second, let alone a vote. One board member commented, “We like the time, if it doesn’t work for you, perhaps this position is not a good fit for you.” Ms. Farjood again attempted to present a compromise at the January 7th meeting and was rebuffed without any reasonable cause being given.
The current meeting time of 9 a.m. is extremely uncommon among elected boards for special districts and smaller city councils. The other healthcare boards in the county, Palomar, Fallbrook, and Tri City meet at 6:30, 6:00, and 3:00 respectively. Water boards, local city councils, school boards, and community planning groups meet at 4 p.m. or later. Were these boards to meet in the morning, many of the elected officials would not be able to attend and the time would deny much of the public the opportunity to attend to hear or comment on matters of interest.
Considering my own experiences on the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group and the school bond oversight committees for both the Grossmont Union High School and La Mesa-Spring Valley Districts, if the meetings were in the morning, over half the membership, including all group and committee officers, would have been unable to attend, and public questions or testimony on matters of finance or land use would be limited.
Elected representatives have what is called a fiduciary responsibility – to act in a trustworthy and accountable manner for the public they serve. This, of course, means rejecting corruption and other actions that betray the public trust. It also induces conduct and decision making that will best serve the public for the office held. To this end, official meetings should not simply be open as required by law, they should be made broadly accessible for the public’s, and not the representatives’, best interests in mind. “It works for us.” is not a good substitute for “It offers opportunity for participation to a majority of our community.”
Consider as well the right of the voters to expect that their chosen representative will be allowed to serve with reasonable accommodation. The winner of the election for this seat won with a strong majority of over 55% of the vote. This was over 23,000 votes. Voters chose this individual to represent their interests on the board. To reject a reasonable request for a meeting time change is to invalidate the will of the voting community.
Additionally, the winner represents the entirety of the city of La Mesa, a community with a strong local economy, proud history, and good civic engagement. Is the board really interested in jeopardizing the status of La Mesa’s chosen representative because the other board members don’t like evening meetings?
It has been widely noted in the media that it is not easy for working parents, and working moms in particular, to be involved in community affairs and hold elected office. Many in government speak glowingly of parenting but don’t act in ways that fully support it in our communities. Elected representatives, to the highest degree possible, should be broadly representative of the people in their communities.
A board composed exclusively of retirees or those who are independently wealthy does not reflect the makeup of our society. We need working people, parents and non parents alike, to bring both personal knowledge and to serve as representatives of others like them in our elected offices. As a working mom, Ms. Farjood brings an awareness of family health concerns which will serve the Grossmont Healthcare Board and their constituents well.
Change is not always easy, but easy is not the requirement of governance. Accountability and public access is.
At their next meeting, the Grossmont Healthcare Board should vote to change their meeting time to the early evening, matching special districts and smaller cities across the county and allowing for the elected service and meeting attendance of working people.
jay steiger
Spring Valley
Editor’s note: Jay Steiger is a teacher in the Poway Unified School District. He currently serves as the vice chair of the Valle de Oro Community Planning Group and chair of the La Mesa-Spring Valley School District’s Citizens Bond Oversight Committee. The views expressed are his own.
