Commentary By Samuel Strait – January 26, 2023 It has become a regular occurrence at the local Board of Supervisor's meetings for the Consent Agenda to be loaded with government actions with very little scrutiny of any kind. Makes one wonder who exactly is minding the store. Someone told me somewhere around the fourth grade that this Country was a representative republic, and the public, was to have a large part in what our "representatives" were meant to act on for the benefit of "MOST" of their constituents. It has become increasingly difficult here in Del Norte County, at least, to be able to distinguish whether our "representatives" represent their constituents or the various departments of the local government. It certainly appears that the consent agenda, which contains a bulk of local government business, generated by various parts of local government biweekly, with little in the way of public discussion or input, passed almost routinely with a rubber stamp vote of 5-0 in the affirmative, most certainly contains very little of a "government of the people, by the people, and for the people". In the current rendition of the BOS meeting (January 24th) 14 items appeared on that agenda, and the entire rest of the public meeting consisted of four items of general business, a robot like transfer of three budget funds, and a legislative item regarding fire severity maps connected to insurance rates. Two of the general business items were concerned with appointments which elicited zero discussion and the remaining two items concerned an obsession with tobacco and naturally elicited another ordinance that has little likelihood of being enforced. Par for the course. When the Consent Agenda occupies dozens of items, one would think that just maybe, those items which have not been discussed in the public meeting, someone from the public may wish to talk about one or more of the items listed. You might even think that if that were to occur, that the public might be able to participate with a public comment on each item. Well, yes you can if you can act like the narrator reading the fine print under the advertising on a TV screen. In essence, the public must confine their comments for the entire Consent Agenda to three minutes. Yet in this recent Board meeting, the Supervisor's waxed elegant for thirty five to forty five minutes on a non agendized item whose concern was not about the public, but a concern over the "work load" of the County's Department heads. One would think after that little detour on the Agenda that the public might be given the same consideration. Not likely. There have been the rare occasion where items are pulled from the Consent Agenda by various Supervisors, most to seek clarification rather than foster an actual discussion of the item. The public, for which many of the items will more directly effect, have no mechanism which enables them to act in a similar fashion. Three minutes or more to comment if your comment favors the Board. Two comments allowed on one item if you are a public servant. No concession whatsoever if your remarks fail to please the Board. This clear example of the failure of our governmental system to allow public participation in the discussion of multiple items on Consent Agendas that consist of twenty or more items has fallen on deaf ears by this Board and all previous Boards. The idea that public participation in the governing of Del Norte County is unwelcome and likely to be stifled should have local representative's phone lines burning down their houses. In times where government decisions can have an enormous impact on the lives of those that live in the County, one would think that this would be the case. It is not. Our County is run by consent not by our local Board of Supervisors. The public has generally been deemed not welcome. The Consent Agenda allows for a lack of transparency that is stunning. This Board needs to change this activity to restore any faith that we are being represented by our local Supervisors and not for the benefit of those that work for the public. The Consent Agenda, whose consent?