In a shocking display of disregard for public engagement, newly elected District 4 councilmember Jamie Valencia proposed a motion to slash the time allotted for public comments at the start of city council meetings from three to a measly two minutes at the city council meeting held on January 7. This move is claimed to promote more “efficient conversation” and improve the “flow of the meeting,” but it silences the voices of the community. The very people Valencia has pledged to serve.
Councilmember Dr. Ahmad Zahra asked, So is your motion the revised items or the non-agendized item public comments?
Valencia confirmed that she wanted to reduce the public’s time to address issues at the beginning of city council meetings, saying, “My motion is to reduce the public comments in the beginning from three minutes to two minutes.”…