The Charter's Challenge

The article below authored by Mr. Bob Packard, is provided by permission from Mr. Packard's editor and can be found along with other articles on the Web site Rancho Palos Verdes Patch, linked on the left side of this blog.

The Charter's Challenge

The March 8 charter vote challenges RPV residents to study, debate and cast a meaningful vote.
By: Bob Packard February 2, 2011

Battle lines are being drawn with the approach of the March 8 vote on Measure C, the initiative to convert Rancho Palos Verdes from a general law city to a charter city. It’s a complex issue with many facets, but with the vote just five weeks off, debate is heating up and pushing a few main issues to the forefront.

Is the initiative an outright “power grab” by council members, as some opponents allege? Or is it a bid to grab power from Sacramento, give it to the city, and better protect RPV’s budget from future raids by a struggling state government?

Is the two-page charter poorly written and too broad, creating the potential for significant Council actions on things like election processes without enough citizen input or say-so?

Or is its brevity a virtue, allowing the city the flexibility to deal with issues as they come up, without tying things up with a detailed document that can only be changed by popular vote?

Is this particular charter being rushed through the political process without enough citizen input? Or is several months’ worth of discussion and review, with each major step covered in council meetings and on the city website, enough notice?

At the core of the charter debate are some deep personal issues and decisions. Do you trust your elected officials? (And by the way, did you vote?) Do you trust them to conduct the political process in a fair and open manner? (And have you ever been to a council meeting or watched one on TV to see them in action?)

In my case, I’m going to trust them until they prove me wrong. And I’m going to watch them closely, because in a participatory government like ours, that’s how the game is played. You carefully suss out candidates, vote accordingly, and watch the winners perform their duties at meetings, in the news, any public venue you can.

The beauty of our system is that you’re offered the chance to participate; but that’s also your weighty responsibility. It’s not always fun, easy or convenient. Check out a council meeting – the system and subject matter often seem unduly complex, with strange jargon and unfamiliar processes. It can be intimidating at first. But persistence pays off; it’s not rocket science, and you can quickly learn enough to appreciate what’s going on and form an opinion.

Another thing is that you’ll probably see a lot of the same people at most meetings – many former city pols or rabid political junkies – and you’ll feel like it’s a fraternity you can’t join. Just do it. I’m sure the council and staff would like to see some new faces in there. In fact I’m sure of it, based on how profusely some council members praise a new speaker for showing up.

In RPV, there really is no excuse for not being informed. You can’t blame anybody else. There are at least two newspapers and a news website (us) that cover each council meeting – plus they’re televised on a city-operated cable channel. There are watchdog websites and blogs that are ready and willing to take on the city – PVP Watch and No on C, for example. (If I missed any, please write and give us a link.)

The RPV city website is a gold mine of information, no matter which side of an issue you’re on. You’ll find meeting agendas; videotaped meetings; breaking news reports; and an avalanche of documents, including reports and FAQs to get you up to speed on issues. You can e-mail the mayor, council members, planning commission, virtually manager or decision-maker. You can even opt in to a service that will push you new information on topics of your choice.

“The amount of information contained on our website and the lengths that we go to advertise upcoming issues go far beyond anything that’s required by law,” said Carolyn Lehr, RPV city manager. “That’s what our city council demands, and we have the kind of educated residents who expect it.”

The outrageous abuses by elected officials in the city of Bell are sometimes cited in the charter debate, because that’s any city’s ultimate nightmare. But those abuses can happen in both general law and charter cities, if we elect the wrong people and we aren’t watching them closely with a fair dose of skepticism.

Residents of this city have a strong track record of turning out for important elections. With five weeks left, there’s still time to attend some debates, learn more about the charter, and cast a meaningful vote. If you don’t, don’t complain.

*** Please visit the Rancho Palos Verdes Patch site at:

http://ranchopalosverdes.patch.com/articles/the-charters-challenge

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