Ironically, during a discussion of a “Code of Conduct” now adopted by the La Palma City Council, Mayor Mark Walden arbitrarily shut down the debate during its January meeting because he apparently thought one Council member was giving the public too much of an inside look.
Council member Janet Keo Conlin was taking issue with a “Code of Conduct” for the City Council that forces two members of the Council to agree to put any item on the city’s public meeting agenda for discussion.
Since being elected, Keo Conklin has lost several 4-1 votes, repeatedly calling for more transparency from city officials.
Even before discussing the Code of Conduct, Keo Conklin again asked the City Council to consider using some of the technology funding they just approved to provide video and audio access.
She read a letter from a Stanton resident who read about the city’s recent refusal to provide such transparency after reading about it in the Voice of OC.
“I am not a resident of La Palma, but I have been following the news coverage,” the resident wrote.
“It is very important to have an accurate and assessable record of the business conducted by the city,” the resident said, adding that “we are at the point technologically that the barriers to have accurate recording and streaming of city council members is no longer burdensome from a technical or financial perspective.”
La Palma is only one of the two OC cities that refuse to provide video access. Even though the city recently spent $50,000 for new microphones, quality still suffers during discussions where residents who do listen cannot see who is speaking.
“The residents of La Palma should not be left in the dark,” they wrote.
After a detailed appeal from Keo Conklin to consider using part of the technology funding to add video to the audio access, her motion died for the lack of a second.
So when it came to the Code of Conduct, she suggested that the 4-1 requirement was little more than a provision to silence her vote, similar to what the Council has done in Cypress to politically neuter former Council member Frances Marquez.
“Council member Baker takes it upon herself to rewrite a whole Council manifesto,” said Keo Conklin, “and this is not right.”
“While it is not okay for one Councilmember to put any item on the agenda, why is it okay for a single Council member to write a Code of Conduct,” suggested Keo Conklin.
“There’s a lot of redlining in here,” she said.
When City Manager Conal McNamara asked for public comment on the Code of Conduct, Keo Conklin asked how residents’ could possibly comment if they hadn’t read it.
No residents commented.
McNamara said it was posted as part of the agenda to the city’s website at least 72 hours before the meeting “required by law.”
Mayor Pro-tem Nitesh Patel argued a Code of Conduct requiring two namely to support any item being added to the agenda was being used in other places, including Cypress.
He tried to explain to Keo Conklin that the new Code was simply meant to force Council members to work together.
“That’s what Council members are supposed to do,” he said, “is to talk amongst each other so we don’t have another incident similar to what you brought us with the Chamber of Commerce,” directed Patel.
“You brought a Chamber of Commerce in here and wanted money to be pushed to yourself (to the Chamber) which would have been a lot of trouble for us and a conflict of interest,” he added.
“It would have been better to discuss it with the other Council members, so they have given you that same feedback,” the Mayor Pro-tem said. “We’re not doing anything outside the norm.”
Cypress is being sued in federal court by Marquez over the treatment she received while on the Council.
Keo Conklin was undaunted and continued.
“So what the Code of Conduct is saying is this,” she said, “is that, as you can see, I was outnumbered 4-1 because they don’t agree to transparency and accountability, so when I make my requests, my freedom is being taken away because another Council member has to approve this.”
“This Code of Conduct is a result of a situation when one council member decides to take it upon herself to be punitive,” said Keo Conklin.
“So they (other Council members) say ‘this other person is showboating,’ so we are going to find ways to sequester their voice.”
Keo Conklin argued that she was elected city-wide with a third of the city’s vote, representing thousands of residents and should not need any other Council member’s permission to put any issue on the city’s public agenda.
“Let’s go back to ethics right Lhere, and I don’t want to point fingers, but what are we hiding? All four of them say we do not want transparency and accountability. I find that ludicrous.
“If you don’t fall in line, they’re going to find ways to write a new rule book to control your behavior so they don’t want transparency or accountability,” said Keo Conklin.
When she tried to restate the fact that the Council just passed up another opportunity to provide livestreaming, Walden stepped in.
“Council member Conklin, that issue passed,” he said trying to dissuade her.
“As you can see, the Mayor is on their side,” she said, “what is wrong with video streaming, now I put my…..” Waldman stopped her mid-statement, and said “I’m going to declare a five-minute recess.“
When they finally returned to the dias, Waldman said “Councilmember Keo Conklin, you have the floor.”
“I don’t have anything else to say. Thank you.” The Council adopted the Code of Conduct 4-1. Keo Conklin voted no.