After supporting a proposal by City Councilman Gary DeLong last week to reduce the number of council meetings to two per month, Councilman Robert Garcia is now reversing his stance. DeLong pulled the proposal off of the agenda last week. On Garcia's Facebook page, as well as in a letter that is running in Tuesday's Press Telegram and should be online soon (see the letters page), he says he was wrong. From his Facebook page:
I asked Garcia by e-mail to explain what exactly changed his mind. Here's his response:I've been thinking these last few days about the proposal that I was supporting to reduce City Council meetings to twice a month to save money. After much discussion and listening to friends and neighbors, I realized that I was wrong on that issue. I'm glad we never voted on it and the item was pulled.
My initial thought was that it could result in some budget savings, however my neighbors and friends made some great arguments mostly about access and transparency. I consider myself a strong supporter of open government, so I would never want to support amything that would limit government transparency.
Paul Eakins reports on Long Beach City Hall, and local and regional
politics. A newcomer to the Press-
Kris Hanson reports on the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,
covering environmental issues, economic triumphs and
pitfalls and trade trends of America’s largest port.
He also writes a weekly column “On The Waterfront”,
appearing Tuesdays, and also produces an occassional video
and column titled “On The Job,” which follows the hard-working
men and women who keep Southern California’s economy humming.
Karen Robes Meeks came to work for the Press-
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