Public Comment

This item is clearly another attempt to weaken democratic participation at the local level under the guise of convenience for City Council and staff. In the holy name of 'efficiency', local democratic participation will be marginalized even more in the last place where individual voices can matter and possibly sway elected officials. The neoliberal elimination of life-protecting laws and regulations at the global, national, state levels is nearly complete, with politicians who strive for higher offices completely captured by the corporate-money-driven political campaigns, and their hopes for revolving-door golden parachutes after they have greased the wheels of corporate profiting. Only at the local level do we still have representatives who may answer to the people, to the public - representatives who can actually interact daily with the people they represent rather than just lobbyists.  

Only at the local level does the public still have a chance to sway government to act on their behalf instead of servicing money-interests. Only at the local level can we have a majority of office holders who are more likely to be interested in their community rather than in their career up the public-private partnership of political corruption. Local government is the only remaining defense of life-sustaining systems (climate, clean water, air pollution, healthy food, affordable housing, decent wages) since corporate capture rules at all higher levels of government.  

Please don't marginalize the public at the only level of government where individual voices, as opposed to corporate lobbyists, can be heard. Take the time to listen to your constituents and weigh their pleas for life-supporting decisions that enhance our community rather than money-driven-decisions to feed the corporate cancer that has infected our social-political system.  

Please vote No on item 19.