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City Council will consider clarifying discussions

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- Silence can sometimes be misconstrued as agreement.

That’s the reason Mayor Gary Adams says he wants council members and

staff to be able to respond to public comments not on the agenda.

“This is one of the most frustrating things public officials have to

deal with,” he said Monday. “People make comments and leave the public

with a misperception of fact and how the City Council is handling

things.”

The council will vote on the issue tonight.

The Brown Act “specifically provides for public comments on non-agenda

items that are within the subject-matter jurisdiction of the City

Council,” according to a staff report prepared by City Atty. Bob Burnham.

City Manager Homer Bludau said some council members were not happy

with people giving out “erroneous information” to the public during the

public comment portion of the council meeting.

During this time, speakers make comments or pose questions about

issues and items that are not on the agenda. They usually have a time

limitation of three minutes.

“When staff or council don’t respond to these comments, the general

public tends to assume that some of these statements are true,” Bludau

said.

The report also states that the Brown Act authorizes staff or council

members to “respond briefly” to statements made or questions posed by the

public at meetings.

If this change is approved tonight, council, as well as staff members,

may in future meetings respond briefly and specifically to questions

posed or issues raised.

Adams said he believes that will save the council a lot of agony.

“It’s a good opportunity to handle issues right there instead of

waiting two weeks to hold a special meeting,” he said.

It does not seem, however, that the council may be unanimous in

deciding this issue.

Councilwoman Norma Glover said she is not sure if “this would be in

the council’s best interest.”

“I need more information before I make a decision,” she said. “I don’t

think it’s a good idea for council members to respond immediately.”

Glover declined to comment further saying that she will talk about it

in greater depth at tonight’s meeting.

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail ato7 [email protected] .

FYI

WHAT: Newport Beach City Council meeting

WHEN: 7 p.m. today

WHERE: Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.

QUESTION

SPEAK UP?

Should the City Council and/or staff respond to the public’s questions

to clear up issues? Call our Readers Hotline at (949) 642-6086 or send

e-mail to [email protected]. Please spell your name and include your

hometown and phone number, for verification purposes only.

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