At the beginning of the pandemic, government boards quickly switched to Zoom, phones and other remote options to continue doing their business safely.
This meant that the business of government was being streamed through phones, laptops and tablets directly into homes in a way that it hadn’t before. It was much easier to tune in, and it was easier to offer public comment.
“This pandemic has brought on a lot of heartache, but one positive thing was the fact that, to my knowledge, because of Zoom we have had the highest attendance of board meetings ever,” Melissa Brown told the board of the Fairfax School District on Thursday night.
Brown, a reading specialist at Zephyr Lane Elementary School, implored the board to not to end all remote access to meetings. She said the district’s recently announced decision would be a “huge mistake.”
Fairfax is one of a handful of local school districts that have recently ended remote access to meetings. Even after the district began holding meetings in person in spring, the public was able to attend its meetings and offer comments over Zoom — and many did. This week, the district put a notice on its site stating that would no longer happen.
“Members of the public wishing to observe the meeting or comment on matters within the Board’s jurisdiction will need to attend the meeting in person to do so, at the time and place stated on the meeting agenda,” the statement said.
Greenfield Union, the third largest elementary district in Kern County, put a nearly identical statement on its website on Oct. 8.
Brown noted that families and employees are not able to attend meetings in person for many reasons, including the fact that they are in quarantine for COVID-19 or that they have opted for independent study precisely to avoid the risks of in-person events.
“Why would we stop using Zoom to communicate the most important decisions made in our district to those unable to attend in person?” she asked.
Edison School District did not respond to a request for comment, but its agendas as of Sept. 27 no longer include Zoom links.
“As the pandemic has waned, you’ve seen agencies dialing back on providing remote access, because they’re not technically required to,” said David Snyder, executive director of the First Amendment Coalition, which advocates for free speech, more open and accountable government, and public participation in government business.
Assemblyman Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said pandemic-era remote access allowed so many more people to be engaged with government. It allowed busy parents, the disabled and those without transportation to have access to government.
“That was revolutionary in the 21st century,” Lee said.
He authored AB 339 as a way to preserve what he saw as a huge achievement for participatory democracy. The original version applied to all government bodies, including at state, city and school levels. The final version that passed through the California Legislature was a big compromise, he said. It applied to city councils or a county board of supervisors in jurisdictions with more than 250,000 people.
“I was astounded how much people pushed back,” he said. “We thought it was a common-sense measure.”
Lee said it was a chance for California to be a leader in providing public access at meetings in the same way it was a leader …….