The Era of Zoom cocoons government from the public. It has become a perilous, albeit unintended, consequence of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
California’s public business is now done entirely through Zoom. Gone are the days when a citizen could amble down to a public meeting and pigeon-hole an elected official, or a town manager and give him or her a piece of their mind. People have become a little square picture on a Zoom frame, so easy to mute. You get your three minutes and you’re gone — out of sight, out of mind. No murmurs from the peanut gallery. No boos or standing Os from like-minded attendees. Just an electronic blip on a screen.
This feature of electronic democracy was on full display at a special City Council meeting in Sausalito last week. Elected officials there are trying to finish up a three-year long General Plan update during the SIP. It is extremely frustrating for citizens to analyze the big issues via Zoom without, well, the ability to talk face-to-face with elected representatives.
In the last few months, the city has added new policies and tweaked old ones. As one person put it, consultants keep adding things without allowing time for people to step back and think about what it all means. Plus, the numbering system of the document got all screwed up, making it hard for anyone, even the Council, to keep up on what’s what.
There’s also concern that some of the items in the document, which will guide future councils for a generation or more, were decided in gatherings that should have been noticed and made in public.
Before someone puts me in a conspiracy camp (of which there are many swirling about in beautiful Sausalito these days), I don’t think there is anything sinister going on here. An updated General Plan is a good thing. It’s a big task in the best of times.
But let’s not kid ourselves: It’s a hot mess now. Perhaps, it would be best if the Sausalito City Council (and all governments for that matter) take a rest from deciding big complicated matters until we can get the COVID-19 restrictions lifted and back to local democracy as we know it.
Some issues may not be able to wait, of course. But a lot of them can. Just an idea.
Chris Rock performing stand-up.
NAILED IT
Comedian Chris Rock nailed the Black Lives Matter controversy for me with this observation:
“I know being a cop is hard. I know that sh*t’s dangerous. I know it is, okay? But some jobs can’t have bad apples. Some jobs, everybody gotta be good. Like … pilots. Ya know. American Airlines can’t be like, ‘Most of our pilots like to land. We just got a few bad apples that like to crash into mountains. Please bear with us.’”
This is why the “defund the police” movement is so misguided. We need to put more money into policing, not less. We need to pay better, train more and be more selective. We can’t continue to have a “please bear with us” attitude.
Defund the police? Just the opposite, don’t you think”
NANCY’S BIG APPOINTMENT
All the national news could talk about last week was Nancy Pelosi’s visit to a hair salon in San Francisco. She didn’t wear a mask and she violated city COVID health rules. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity, some said. But the real story, my sources tell me, is she was getting ready to return to Washingron, D.C., to do battle with Republicans and needed to get her nails sharpened. (H/T Argus Hamilton).
ONE MORE THING
— Sign seen on the back of a septic tank truck: “Caution: This truck is full of political promises.”
— Blazing Saddles has been edited for TV. It will air tonight from 8 and 8:07 p.m.
— The sweater I bought was picking up static electricity so I returned it. They gave me another free of charge.
— Remember that classmate from high school who said they’d only go out with you if the world was ending. This may be your year.
OK, I apologize about the static electricity pun. I’ll pick up my knitting and let myself out. Until next week, stay safe and mask up.
Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, publisher of intensely local community newspapers in Nevada and California, including the Novato Advance, the San Rafael News Pointer, the Mill Valley Herald, the Ross Valley Reporter, the Twin Cities Times, the Sausalito Marin Scope and the Pacifica Tribune. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
is far from ideal
The Era of Zoom cocoons government from the public. It has become a perilous, albeit unintended, consequence of the COVID-19 stay-at-home order.
California’s public business is now done entirely through Zoom. Gone are the days when a citizen could amble down to a public meeting and pigeon-hole an elected official, or a town manager and give him or her a piece of their mind. People have become a little square picture on a Zoom frame, so easy to mute. You get your three minutes and you’re gone — out of sight, out of mind. No murmurs from the peanut gallery. No boos or standing Os from like-minded attendees. Just an electronic blip on a screen.
This feature of electronic democracy was on full display at a special City Council meeting in Sausalito last week. Elected officials there are trying to finish up a three-year long General Plan update during the SIP. It is extremely frustrating for citizens to analyze the big issues via Zoom without, well, the ability to talk face-to-face with elected representatives.
In the last few months, the city has added new policies and tweaked old ones. As one person put it, consultants keep adding things without allowing time for people to step back and think about what it all means. Plus, the numbering system of the document got all screwed up, making it hard for anyone, even the Council, to keep up on what’s what.
There’s also concern that some of the items in the document, which will guide future councils for a generation or more, were decided in gatherings that should have been noticed and made in public.
Before someone puts me in a conspiracy camp (of which there are many swirling about in beautiful Sausalito these days), I don’t think there is anything sinister going on here. An updated General Plan is a good thing. It’s a big task in the best of times.
But let’s not kid ourselves: It’s a hot mess now. Perhaps, it would be best if the Sausalito City Council (and all governments for that matter) take a rest from deciding big complicated matters until we can get the COVID-19 restrictions lifted and back to local democracy as we know it.
Some issues may not be able to wait, of course. But a lot of them can. Just an idea.
Chris Rock performing stand-up.
NAILED IT
Comedian Chris Rock nailed the Black Lives Matter controversy for me with this observation:
“I know being a cop is hard. I know that sh*t’s dangerous. I know it is, okay? But some jobs can’t have bad apples. Some jobs, everybody gotta be good. Like … pilots. Ya know. American Airlines can’t be like, ‘Most of our pilots like to land. We just got a few bad apples that like to crash into mountains. Please bear with us.’”
This is why the “defund the police” movement is so misguided. We need to put more money into policing, not less. We need to pay better, train more and be more selective. We can’t continue to have a “please bear with us” attitude.
Defund the police? Just the opposite, don’t you think”
NANCY’S BIG APPOINTMENT
All the national news could talk about last week was Nancy Pelosi’s visit to a hair salon in San Francisco. She didn’t wear a mask and she violated city COVID health rules. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity, some said. But the real story, my sources tell me, is she was getting ready to return to Washingron, D.C., to do battle with Republicans and needed to get her nails sharpened. (H/T Argus Hamilton).
ONE MORE THING
— Sign seen on the back of a septic tank truck: “Caution: This truck is full of political promises.”
— Blazing Saddles has been edited for TV. It will air tonight from 8 and 8:07 p.m.
— The sweater I bought was picking up static electricity so I returned it. They gave me another free of charge.
— Remember that classmate from high school who said they’d only go out with you if the world was ending. This may be your year.
OK, I apologize about the static electricity pun. I’ll pick up my knitting and let myself out. Until next week, stay safe and mask up.
Sherman R. Frederick is the founder of Battle Born Media, publisher of intensely local community newspapers in Nevada and California, including the Novato Advance, the San Rafael News Pointer, the Mill Valley Herald, the Ross Valley Reporter, the Twin Cities Times, the Sausalito Marin Scope and the Pacifica Tribune. He may be reached at shermfrederick@gmail.com.)
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