In response to one of its elected officials dominating the conversation at public meetings, the Lemon Grove City Council is looking to place limits on the amount of time council members can speak on agenda items and the length of its meetings.
The City Council last week said it will decide at its April 20 meeting whether to restrict each member to five minutes on each agenda item, with an additional three minutes available later.
The City Council also will decide what do if a meeting is still in progress at 9 p.m. — three hours after it started. The City Council agreed that it would be prudent to look at where it was on the agenda at 9 p.m., and make a decision whether it should proceed or push remaining items to a future agenda.
The proposals were made by City Councilmembers Jennifer Mendoza and Jerry Jones, both of whom have become increasingly frustrated with what they characterize as rude and unprofessional behavior by first-time City Councilwoman Liana LeBaron.
LeBaron has been accused of monopolizing meetings, interrupting fellow councilmembers and needlessly interrogating staff members.
“Since the last election, our meetings have routinely run over five hours long,” Mendoza said. “We hold our meetings in the evening so that more community members can participate... Meetings of this length do not serve the majority, the community or our staff.”
Mendoza said she understood that new councilmembers often need more time to understand certain subject matter, but that they should meet with staff or a fellow councilmember ahead of city council meetings so as to be better briefed.
“It is a council members’ discretion to avail themselves of the opportunity to meet with staff,” Mendoza said. “If they come to a city council meeting not sufficiently prepared to discuss the agenda items, it is a disservice and disrespectful to other council members, the staff and our constituents, who have to sit through endless questions and explanations that should have been resolved before the council meeting.”
Mendoza said the city is falling behind on conducting business and has had to schedule four meetings just to catch up. The City Council typically meets every other Tuesday night.
Jones recalled that at the City Council’s last March meeting, which involved two appeal hearings about cannabis dispensaries, LeBaron talked for 45 minutes straight at one point. Many of her talking points “put staff on trial” with comments, criticism and questions and her words “promoted testimony of the applicant, wasn’t quantifiable and relied on hearsay,” Jones said on Wednesday.
Mendoza offered to help LeBaron get up to speed on any items she wanted to talk about and also encouraged her to work more closely with City Manager Lydia Romero.
LeBaron said she checked with other jurisdictions in San Diego County and found that only two, including the city of San Diego, place time limits on city councilmembers. She said if Lemon Grove follows suit, it puts the city on a “dangerous, dangerous and slippery slope” akin to censorship.
“I’m quite saddened by this policy implementation and it really does sound like our Founding Fathers would really be rolling over in their graves that we are entertaining such a conversation,” LeBaron said.
She disagreed with other councilmembers who said they consistently get any questions and concerns answered by city staff members. LeBaron chastised Romero and other staff members, saying they have not been responsive to her.
Mayor Racquel Vasquez on several occasions said that it was important the City Council realizes that it there first and foremost to do the city’s business, have oversight of the city’s budget and “create good policy that will support programs that benefit our community.”
“This is not a reality show, not our opportunity as a council member to target staff,” Vasquez said.
City councilman George Gastil said he makes it a habit to check himself on time to be sure that others have a fair opportunity to be heard. He said he doesn’t always say everything that he feels in the interest of time and out of respect to his fellow councilmembers, staff and the public.
During closing remarks about the agenda item on Tuesday, Vasquez was interrupted by LeBaron several times. LeBaron said she had a few more things to add to the conversation.
Mendoza asked Vasquez to allow LeBaron to have one minute to wrap up her comments. Vasquez acquiesced.
“I think the public is going to be able to capture the essence of a councilmember attempting to be silenced,” LeBaron said.
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April 11, 2021 at 08:00PM
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Lemon Grove set to limit time council members can speak - The San Diego Union-Tribune
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