As someone who tries to stay civically engaged, I occasionally speak at City Council meetings, Planning Commission meetings, and Design Review Committee meetings, whether it's regarding an agendized item or during the Public Comments period where one can speak on any non-agendized topic (within reason, I suppose) for up to 3 minutes. Prior to speaking one generally completes a speaker card, indicating one's position on a particular agenda item, your name, address, phone, and email address. Likewise, your name is called at the appropriate time to approach the podium to speak, and the chair or Mayor will generally ask you to state your name just prior to speaking. All standard fare. Likewise, when submitting written comments, I've always included my name as well.
Recently, I noticed that written comments were being submitted to the City without a name attached. I asked the City Clerk about this, and apparently the Brown Act doesn't require that one identify themselves to attend a public meeting. A quick online search confirmed that information, but it's a little less clear on whether or not speakers need to identify themselves (and likewise whether or not written comments need to include the identity of the speaker). There is apparently case law that implies that a speaker doesn't need to identify themselves and likewise wouldn't need to include identifying information in written comments, and the City Clerk indicated that other City Clerks with whom she communicates have also noticed a trend in people not identifying themselves in written comments to their respective cities.
While it may be the law, and increasingly a common practice, I think it's a further erosion of our civility as a society. I also think that if one is trying to influence public policy by persuasively speaking or writing to the makers of public policy (Commissioners, Council Members, Committee Members, etc.) then at the very least one should identify themselves, if only voluntarily, to the policy makers and the public audience. It's simply too easy to be a keyboard warrior and to express opinions and/or mis-statements of facts without any accountability -- and that's not healthy for our community.
Recently, I noticed that written comments were being submitted to the City without a name attached. I asked the City Clerk about this, and apparently the Brown Act doesn't require that one identify themselves to attend a public meeting. A quick online search confirmed that information, but it's a little less clear on whether or not speakers need to identify themselves (and likewise whether or not written comments need to include the identity of the speaker). There is apparently case law that implies that a speaker doesn't need to identify themselves and likewise wouldn't need to include identifying information in written comments, and the City Clerk indicated that other City Clerks with whom she communicates have also noticed a trend in people not identifying themselves in written comments to their respective cities.
While it may be the law, and increasingly a common practice, I think it's a further erosion of our civility as a society. I also think that if one is trying to influence public policy by persuasively speaking or writing to the makers of public policy (Commissioners, Council Members, Committee Members, etc.) then at the very least one should identify themselves, if only voluntarily, to the policy makers and the public audience. It's simply too easy to be a keyboard warrior and to express opinions and/or mis-statements of facts without any accountability -- and that's not healthy for our community.
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