Proposed LBCC Communication Policies Don't Facilitate Better Communication Or Oversight

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Editorial

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(Dec. 8, 2015, 7:10 a.m.) -- LBCC Trustees Doug Otto and Irma Archuleta, who will both face voters in 2016 (Archuleta was never elected but chosen by the Board to fill the remainder of now-Councilman Roberto Uranga's term; Otto has been re-elected several times), have in our opinion given voters some reason to question their attitudes toward their elective offices with an item they agendized for tonight's (Dec. 8) LBBCC Trustees meeting.

Dubbed a "Trustee Ad Hoc Committee on Communication Report to the Board of Trustees," its recommendations include not streaming Board meetings live on the internet and, among those things, telling elected Board members how they should or shouldn't behave in communicating with those who elected them.

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Some excerpts (from the full document visible here)

Live streaming Board meetings:
The Committee considered whether Board of Trustees meetings could be broadcast live via the web. In considering this new option, the Committee obtained a cost estimate for live streaming (including one-time equipment purchases and ongoing staff costs), as well as surveyed other community colleges about their broadcast practices. The reasons commonly cited for not using live streaming include the ongoing expense of live streaming and low demand for the service. Also, the College already repeatedly broadcasts the Board meetings on two different cable stations that are available for local residents to view. The estimated cost for live streaming include hiring a new Senior Multi-Media Specialist, procuring closed-captioning services at the Board meeting, and preparing an encoder device. Combined, these would require an ongoing annual commitment of $145,000. After reviewing these facts, the Committee decided to not recommend live streaming of Board meetings at this time. The Committee recommends that LBCC continue its current practice of videotaping all meetings and making them available to the public within 72 hours of the meeting via the College’s YouTube channel.

LBREPORT.com comment: This advice plants LBCC's Board firmly in the previous century, perpetuating the primitive status quo. The claimed cost is a bogus issue; webcasting needn't require six figure sums; it's likely that students in LBCC's TV classes or adults elsewhere could very easily livestream the Board's meetings right now at minimal cost (including plugging into the Board's existing video system.) LBCC shouldn't be the "can't do" college.

And it gets worse. Do these sound to you like they encourage independent opinions, open dialogue and meaningful oversight for students and taxpayers?

Meeting Preparation:
Trustees often have questions about items on the Board agenda that require clarification prior to meetings. Trustees are asked to communicate directly with the Superintendent-President prior to Board meetings to obtain answers to questions and/or concerns about agenda items. The purpose of this procedure is to streamline Board meetings by providing answers to questions and clarification of agenda items so as not to unnecessarily take up Board time during meetings. It is asked that such requests be communicated within 48 hours after the agenda has been sent to the Board members. The Superintendent-President will determine if the submitted questions or concerns can be answered prior to the Board meeting and will share any such answers with all Trustees. If the Trustee does not communicate the request for information or questions with at least 48-hours' notice, then the Superintendent-President may decline the request based on the availability of staff resources. Trustees always have the opportunity to ask questions about any agenda item at any Board of Trustee meeting.
Media:
The Board will strive to maintain a consistent voice in all communication channels by designating the Board President as the official spokesperson for the Board in all public and media situations. The Board President may designate another Board member to fulfill this role, if necessary or desirable. Board members will be expected to respect the Board President or designee as the official spokesperson for the Board to the media. In addition, Board members are expected to refer calls from the media to the Superintendent-President or Board President, as appropriate; and contact the Superintendent-President whenever contacted by media regarding any College issue.
APPENDIX A: SOCIAL MEDIA RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES FOR TRUSTEES
...The following "best practices" recommended guidelines can help Trustees use these forums effectively, while protecting their personal and professional reputations...
...Promote the positive. Use social media to highlight the good work the college is doing and to encourage the community to utilize College resources effectively. Use care not to post items contrary to College branding or messaging...
...Refrain from broadcasting opinions on matters directly pending before the Board. If an issue has been placed on the agenda for a vote, do not broadcast your intentions to vote one way or another on that particular issue. Social media is best used to encourage public participation in the governing process, not as a way to measure constituent opinion prior to a public meeting.
Speak only as one member of the Board. When you offer personal opinion, emphasize that you speak as an individual and are not representing Board consensus. Refrain from using social media as a platform to voice concerns or contrary opinions after a decision has been rendered by the Board.

In LBREPORT.com's opinion, any elected official who would submit to these conditions displays a serious misunderstanding of their elective position. We believe that the first duty of elected officials is to the public that elects them, not to other electeds or to management. Elected officials must remain first and foremost accountable to those who elect them and not muzzle themselves to suit other electeds or by management.

That said, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Regarding email, the recommendations include: "The College will create personalized lbcc.edu emails for Trustees to conduct College business and engage with the public. Trustees will be expected to use their LBCC emails as their primary method of College-related correspondence." This is on the right track but leaves a large loophole by letting Trustees use their personal email as their "secondary" method of college-related correspondence. We recommend a clear cut policy against using personal emails to conduct public business, and if it is (sometimes hard to avoid), the Trustee must :cc it the LBCC .edu domain, ensuring it will become a public record. (The issue of using personal email for public business in ways that circumvent the CA Public Records Act is now pending before the CA Supreme Court.)

Fixing email and webcasting meetings live can be dealt with separately; we recommend that the Board diplomatically receive and file the remainder of the recommendations. In our view, a fundamental democratic check and balance principle is involved here. If a Board majority unwisely adopts the odious recommendations above, ignoring their dictatorial elements should be viewed as a badge of honor...and we think voters would be justified in making this an issue in the upcoming LBCC Board elections.

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