By DAVID ROSS
Cockroaches fear the day and will scatter if you
shine a bright beam of light on them. Some county Supervisors
also fear the light of public scrutiny. They will do anything
to keep the public in the dark about what they are doing—until
after they have done it and it is too late to undo it. But sometimes
they get caught.
Last week the board backed down from a vote it
took Dec. 7—without announcing that it would be taking
a vote, and without letting the public see materials relating
to the vote—to adopt the recommendations of the “Red
Tape Task Force,” which includes abolishing planning groups—after
a public interest group sued them under the Brown Act.
Let’s talk about “red tape,”
and some people’s idea of what red tape is. Democracy
and public participation are red tape. Doing things in the open
without smoke and mirrors—is red tape. And yes, just about
everything that the Brown Act, with its rules about openness
and informing the public about things ahead of time does—is
red tape.
Red tape is how Supervisors Bill Horn and Ron
Roberts apparently view democracy and public participation:
barriers to getting things built as expeditiously as possible.
Now, I happen to think that there IS a red tape
problem in the county Dept. of Planning & Land Use, but
it is a red herring to blame planning groups. A developer who
does business all over the state told me recently that this
County is the worst to deal because it hits you with fees every
time you take a deep breath. Is that any way connected with
planning groups? I don’t think so. However, you won’t
see Supervisors Horn and Roberts suggesting cutting something
that puts money in the county’s coffers.
Horn and Roberts really need to be beaten on this
issue and to be reminded that in San Diego County—as in
America—the people rule.
