Remember the old game Steal the Bacon? Well yesterday, it became public that the Burbank Police Commission's town hall meeting, aka "the bacon", was, for lack of a better term, "stolen" by the Burbank City Council. The town hall, scheduled for this coming Wednesday, will now be a joint meeting of the Police Commission and the City Council. Interest from the Council was apparently so overwhelming that, for fear of a Brown Act violation, the Council decided to give the commission what the commission had originally wanted—a joint meeting/forum.
While this latest development is interesting I have to wonder about its impacts on the success of the forum. One of the benefits of having a commission-only forum would be the lack of environmental intimidation (i.e. less staff, different location, and no council). Now, the town hall meeting will have to be more formal and more procedural than previously planned. But, realistically that isn't even the real issue.
The fact of the matter is that council members are the decision makers. Having council members in the room make police commissioners irrelevant If the council felt that being a part of a town hall meeting was so important then why didn't they call a town hall meeting months ago when the Stehr situation exploded? Seems to me that would have been a better public relations move at the time. I don't know why and I can only wonder why the council has acted so aggressively by taking over the meeting.
As for the Police Commission, I can only hope that they don't lose faith. This move would frustrate the heck out of me but, I would remind the police commission that this is the time to be proactive, this is the time to ask the questions and that this is the time not to give up.
This is also a time where the public needs to show up. This was the police commission's idea and we need to attend to show our support. Spread the word! Have a police issue? Attend the commission/council meeting. The meeting is this Wednesday the 18th from 7:00PM-9:00PM at the Community Services Building located at 150 N. Third St. Hope to see you all there!
Poll of the Weekend: Did the Council Steal the Bacon? Vote on the right-hand side of the blog.
Without a doubt the Turds at City Hall stole this meeting with the intent of hiding the bacon and eating it behind closed doors. Imagine that it's complete with 'remarks' from the mayor. Week after week her remarks shed so much light on things.
ReplyDeleteCOUNCIL AGENDA - CITY OF BURBANK
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010
City Council - Police Commission Community Forum
7:00 P.M.
COMMUNITY SERVICES BUILDING – 150 NORTH THIRD STREET
This agenda contains a summary of each item of business which the Council may discuss or act on at this meeting. The agenda packet consisting of the staff reports and all other documentation relating to each item on this agenda are on file in the office of the City Clerk located at City Hall, 275 E. Olive Avenue, at the reference desks at the three public libraries located at 110 N. Glenoaks Blvd., 300 N. Buena Vista St. and 3323 W. Victory Blvd., during normal business hours, and will be posted on the City’s website at www.ci.burbank.ca.us. Any writings or documents provided to the Council regarding any item on this agenda subsequent to distribution of the agenda packet will be made available for public inspection in the office of the City Clerk at City Hall located at 275 E. Olive Avenue, during normal business hours. If you have a question about any matter on the agenda, please call the office of the City Clerk at (818) 238-5851. This facility is disabled accessible. Auxiliary aids and services are available for individuals with speech, vision or hearing impairments (48-hour notice is required). Please contact the ADA Coordinator at (818) 238-5424 voice or (818) 238-5035 TDD with questions or concerns.
A.
CALL TO ORDER:
B.
FLAG SALUTE:
C.
ROLL CALL:
D.
REMARKS BY MAYOR REINKE AND COMMISSION CHAIRPERSON FRUTOS:
E.
INTRODUCTION: CHIEF LACHASSE AND POLICE COMMAND STAFF:
F.
PUBLIC COMMENT: (Three minutes on any matter concerning Police Department business.) A PURPLE card must be completed and presented to the City Clerk.
G.
COUNCIL/POLICE COMMISSION AND STAFF RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENT:
H.
STATE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Presentation by Chief LaChasse on Police Service Information; Prison Reform; Crime Mapping; and, Identity Theft.
I.
COUNCIL/POLICE COMMISSION CLOSING REMARKS:
J.
ADJOURNMENT.
For a copy of the agenda and related staff reports,
please visit the
City of Burbank’s Web Site:
www.ci.burbank.ca.us
It would sure be nice to have all the citizens of Burbank show up and ask some hard hitting questions to the commission, with hope that there is no interferance. It's time questions get answered.
ReplyDeleteThe real question is:
ReplyDeleteWHAT IS REINKE SO AFRAID OF ?
I honestly don't believe she is "afraid" of anything.
ReplyDelete