A deadlocked San Diego County Board of Supervisors failed to advance a transparency measure to end the practice of creating ad-hoc subcommittees with little public insight or knowledge on Tuesday.
Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond voted in favor of Anderson’s proposal, while their colleagues Paloma Aguirre and Monica Montgomery Steppe were opposed.
Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
The measure will return to the board on June 25, unless the item is moved to another date.
Montgomery Steppe raised concerns about possible public safety and privacy issues for some who appear at ad-hoc subcommittee meetings, such as family members who spoke at one focusing on juvenile justice.
“If we create the same rules for different situations, then we will not have as robust policy discussions that we should have and owe the public,” the board vice chair explained. Montgomery Steppe said she didn’t realize the possibility of retaliation until the juvenile justice ad-hoc committee began its work.
“Sometimes you don’t know where you end up going when you start,” she added.
Anderson said it was possible to have a more open process while also making sure residents were protected. “I’ve made my best pitch — if you have to vote no, I certainly understand it,” he responded. However, he added: “We say we’re for transparency, and then we find all the reasons under the sun not be transparent.”
Anderson recently claimed that the board has used secret committee meetings in the past to conduct important public business behind closed doors.
“Good government happens in the sunshine,” Anderson said. “San Diego County residents should not have to wonder where major policy decisions are being shaped. If these subcommittees are helping develop policies that impact millions of taxpayer dollars and the daily lives of our residents, the public deserves the opportunity to see that process, follow it, and participate in it.”
The proposal follows discussion regarding subcommittees that have met “without publicly posted agendas, minutes or recordings,” despite influencing significant policy discussions, according to Anderson’s office.
For example, Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe formed an ac-hoc subcommittee in March after the board voted 4-1 to move forward on overhauling a program that serves residents who can’t afford insurance and don’t qualify for Medi-Cal. The changes would entail adjusting eligibility standards, eliminating lien requirements and reviewing costs.
The supervisors said the reforms will be presented to the board within 60 days after the fiscal year 2026-27 budget is adopted.
Anderson’s proposed board policy would require public meeting notices, advance agendas, recordings, minutes and public access to meeting materials through a centralized county website. The proposal would “also establish clear operational standards and accountability measures for all board-created ad hoc subcommittees,” a statement from Anderson said.
During Tuesday’s meeting, most residents who spoke were in favor of Anderson’s proposal.
One woman said she had difficulty finding materials from a standing committee meeting focusing on flood control held on April 9 “that are supposed to be available to the public.” She added that she emailed a county contact requesting the materials, but hasn’t heard back from them.
Another resident said that along with greater transparency, ad-hoc committee reform “will create more avenues of public access and public participation.”
“So often, I hear community members say, `You can’t fight the county,’ so they disengage,” he said. “After all, no one really wins in a fight. Let’s change that culture from `fight’ to `work”‘ to improve the democratic process and residents’ lives, he added.
Desmond suggested that if county ad-hoc committees are dealing with sensitive material, no one would fault members for clearing a room if needed.
The proposal presented Tuesday is very reasonable, and “we’re looking for ways to vote against it,” he added.
Aguirre, citing her experience on the juvenile justice ad-hoc committee, said the work focuses not on hiding anything, but on letting family members “speak their truth.”
Such flexibility lets the ad-hoc subcommittee produce information for the Board of Supervisors, said Aguirre, who noted her work with Anderson on a finance-related subcommittee.
She added that if the process is taking too long, then the subcommittee can be changed into a full one to apply with the Brown Act, a state law that allows for public attendance, participation and recording of local governmental bodies.
“I just think that the way the argument has been presented is a bit of a fallacy,” in terms of a perception that there has been secrecy in the meetings, Aguirre said.
Hence then, the article about county supervisors fail to advance transparency measure after deadlock was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( County supervisors fail to advance transparency measure after deadlock )
Also on site :