At the last CCSD meeting , GM Tammy Rudock reported that she had voted “No” on the recent Mosquito Abatement District Assessment on behalf of the District and the properties it owns. She decisded that this was within her authority, since she is authorized to enter into contracts for the District. As to why she voted no for the district: the money wasn’t in the budget to pay it.
This action might not have caught my attention, except that over the last two weeks, I’ve attended four meetings of agencies subject to the Brown Act: the SLO Board of Supervisors, San Miguel Advisory Council, Cambria Community Healthcare District and the Cambria Community Services District. At each of these meetings, the staff brought the issue to Board to vote on, as they seemed to consider it more of a policy issue, rather than a management one. Looking at the agendas for a few other CSDs it was clear they also left the vote to the choice of their Boards.
Since it wasn’t even on the consent calendar, the public had no opportunity to make comment on it and no analysis was provided of what the fiscal impact (or other benefits) would be for the District. Whether to support or oppose the formation of another department in the county should be a decision for the Board, not the General Manager. It may seem like I’m nit-picking, but if we continue to ignore these small transgressions, the laws that are intended to limit the powers of our local agency staff and provide for oversight by elected representatives, we begin to slip away from agencies that provide services for the community toward an unaccountable clique controlling the community.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=7ecea2ee-6ffb-4770-b3f3-b33d71c74a38)
Last 5 posts by Amanda Rice
- Gail Robinette Chosen to Complete DeMicco's Term as CCSD Director on Unanimous Vote
- California Coastal Commission Unanimously Denied Army Corps Desal Tests
- Cambria CSD Agenda for November 27, 2011 Meeting Includes Water Conservation & New Tank Project
- Sunken Oil Tanker Off Cambria's Coastline Will Be Checked Again Soon
You are absolutely right, Amanda. the GM and the CCSD has a pattern of Brown Act Violations.
It is important to pay attention to these things because these violations do erode the public’s rights. This is unfortunately not the first example of Brown Act violations by the CCSD management/board. I don’t think the CCSD’s legal advisors are helping the CCSD comply with Brown Act requirements and I would like to see that fixed.
“She decided that this was within her authority, since she is authorized to enter into contracts for the District.”
This is clearly not a contract she made a decision on. It was an election she personally voted on for all of us, since we the taxpayers own the land the CCSD manages. Wouldn’t that be considered voter fraud? The GM clearly understands voter fraud as indicated by the CCSD’s new attention to following prop 218 laws and their paying for a Prop 218 expert to advise them this time, which I applaud.
I think the district could benefit from a Brown Act consultant, as well.