Citizens from many walks of life turned up at the La Palma Community Center on Thursday as city officials staged their first-ever “Conversation” with residents.
Though the meeting ostensibly began as a discussion of term limits, the special meeting turned out to be an exercise in civic engagement, giving citizens free-rein access to the Mayor, City Council members and even public agencies serving the city.
While the City Council had appropriated $50,000 to hire a consultant, City Manager Conal McNamara said none of those funds were used. Instead, the city relied on old school techniques that required simple educational supplies like paper and marking dots the city used to track the opinions of citizens who showed up.
“Speak your thoughts and we’ll be here to listen,” said Mayor Marshall Goodman as he opened the meeting at the La Palma Community Center.
“This is not going to be a dialogue,” he said, noting that “we’re not going to be talking back and forth. We just want to hear and receive your information,” said Goodman.
There was a brief mention of term limits, but only in the context of their role amid the uncertainty over civic engagement and whether citizens will emerge to serve as the “micro” city of approximately 15,000 people.
“We did agendize an item to discuss term limits,” the mayor conceded, “but that was just a general expression so that we can have this formation conversation.”
City leaders have legitimate concerns, or questions, about the impact districting will have on the tiny city said Mayor Pro-tem Mark Waldman.
Waldman served two previous terms, sat out for eight years and ran again, which La Palma’s term limit ordinance allows.
“There are only about 2,000 registered voters in each of the five new districts,” he said. Nevertheless, Waldman said he supports the city’s current term limitations unless voters demonstrate they want change.
La Palma, like many other cities in California, feels like they were forced into by-district voting. Unlike Cypress, La Palma agreed almost immediately to its California Voting Rights Act demand letter and survived the ordeal at minimal costs.
Now, however, there are questions about how, if at all, this new process will affect the quality of its representation on the council.
Term limits aside, the “Conversation” quickly took on a life of its own, as residents bended the ears of their elected representatives for almost 90 minutes before an additional opportunity to speak to the group about any subject on their minds.
In addition, the city asked public service agencies such as fire, police, city clerk’s office, and many others to set up tables with representatives to answer any questions asked by citizens about how they serve the city.
Courtesy photo
The mayor said the meeting was designed to recruit citizens to get more engaged with their city.
“If you’re of age and a resident of this city,” said Goodman, “I would recommend you get involved in city leadership, whether its joining a committee or running for city council.”
“We have a lot of our city staff and member organizations around the room for you to ask questions of these experts,” he added.
Residents were given surveys to fill out as city staff gave colored sticky-dots to use to indicate their opinions about several issues facing the city, including term limits.
“As you walk around the room tonight, ask questions,” said Council member Nitesh Patel. “This is for you to get information on our city and there are multiple items here,” he said.
McNamara said the event was designed for citizens “to have multiple opportunities to interact with staff and the city council.
“This is a freewheeling conversation,” he said. He said staff will eventually go through the the surveys and ratings expressed by the 50 or so residents who turned up for the discussion.
Multiple agencies were set up in stations around the room where citizens could freely visit and ask questions during the 90-minute conversation. In addition, the five members of the City Council. Goodman, Patel, Debbie Baker, Mike Waldman and Janet Keo Konklin, also mingled and made themselves available to any resident that wanted to speak with them during the extended “conversation.”
The planned sixty-minute mingle session was closer to 90-minutes by the time Mayor Goodman was able to reclaim order in the special meeting.
Residents were then invited to the podium to speak their minds, on any subject, each given five minutes to speak.
“The reason we come to meetings like this is to let the city see that we’re involved,” said resident James Bates. “If you’re not involved, you can’t see what the city is doing to make it the best for you.”
“We like how we can have conversations with everybody here on the City Council or with the other organizations involved,” said his wife, Teressa Bates.
“I think this is a great opportunity for citizens of La Palma to be engaged and find out what agencies really do,” she said.
“I love our city of La Palma,” said Emma Jones, a retired nurse who has lived in the same La Palma home for 45 years. It’s close to everything; malls, churches, schools, post offices everything we need.”
Jones, however, like other nearby residents, are having a problem with their backdoor neighbor that she carefully explained to the Council. “I have at least four or five neighbors that are also bothered by this problem that we have,” she said.
At the term limits information station, the city had erected an easel with a board giving residents the chance to place sticky dots on the options they preferred, including keeping term limits as they are, increasing it to include three (3) four-year terms, etc. but did not include an option for two “lifetime” terms.
Currently, a Council member elected can serve two terms, sit out four years, and run again. Two “lifetime” terms would limit any official to two terms, period.
Robert Carruth, a 33-year resident, pointed out that the city had failed to list “all” of the options regarding term limits, suggesting if they ask voters to approve anything this fall that they include every option, including the “lifetime limit” of two terms.
“I would propose that the city take it seriously,” he said, giving voters “all of the options.” Carruth said voters may likely select “lifetime” limits if given the choice.
Former Mayor Keith Nelson said voters will be going to the polls in November for the first time since selected by-district elections, so he said significant education efforts are needed.
“My concern is this is the first time in 70 years that the community has been put in position to have to vote for a district and some people will vote for city council person in November and some people will not vote because they’re a different district,” said Nelson.
Another former Mayor, Edward Byrne, also told the Council that he was in support of terms, not only La Palma but in Sacramento and Washington D.C.
“I think more education needs to be done,” he said. “Nobody on the street anywhere doesn’t want that but the powers that be will never let us see that.”
Currently, he suggested politics has become more abou personal wealth than helping people. “It is “the only place you will see where you can go from rages to multimillionaires in a lifetime,” he said.
More to the point, Byrne asked the Council to consider refocusing its regular newsletter to consider consequential information for residents, such as new construction and other economic developments.
“I think a lot of people are curious about our community and what’s going on,” the former mayor said, “and especially what’s coming up.”
One resident, Steven Hess, apparently complaining about trash, said “I called the city for that, I called the police department and no one really knew who was in charge.”
“Thank you for your input,” Goodman told him, “the city manager is taking notes.”
Longtime resident Rick Daum perhaps summed it up perfectly after a long discussion.
“Civic engagement is crucial for a thriving community,” said Rick Daum. “Meetings like this play a significant role in encouraging it.
Daum said the format “felt more comfortable” and that he would say things in this room that he would never say in the Council Meeting Room.
“It was great having the departments that work for the city here. People need to know who their services come from,” said Daum. Even though people vote for officials, rarely do they seem them or have much of an idea what they do.
“This is great for civic engagement,” said Daum, adding he plans to encourage the city to do more of it.
