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to a laptop, everyone in this county could be watching this presentation. Again, this is just <br />about how do we educate ourselves to participate in civic life in this County, and I think in <br />doing that, pulling ourselves together. You read in the paper a lot about splitting the County, <br />and it's because people don't feel connected. This is just one way to look at how we could <br />all be connected on a practical level. I'm not sure if that fits into some of the things David <br />Frankel is going to speak about regarding the Public Trust. <br />What is in the Sunshine Law's policy is that in a democracy the people are vested with the <br />ultimate decision - making power. Government agencies exist to aid the people in the <br />formation and conduct of public policy. Opening up the government processes to public <br />scrutiny and participation is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the public's <br />interest. That is my comment on the public and the public trust. It's not adding something in <br />or out, but just thinking about that in terms of the bigger picture of the Charter, and what we <br />are all doing here. <br />The second thing is the Prosecuting Attorney, and I also wanted to make some comments at <br />the same time about the Corporation Counsel. I realize that is not on your agenda and you <br />would not be able to discuss that at this meeting, but I would like to make comments on those <br />two attorney positions that are discussed in the Charter. My comments each go back to the <br />whole idea of creating more integrity, more trust, and more transparency of the different <br />functions of the government to the public. Under Prosecuting Attorney, I would just like to <br />suggest something be put in here to address the point that it is really the Prosecuting Attorney <br />that is the one that is charged, and has the responsibility, to enforce the Sunshine Law. State <br />Office of Information Practices issues opinions, but they don't enforce, they don't <br />investigate. I would just like to see something in here that would stress that some of that <br />responsibility is investigating and enforcing the Sunshine Laws; Sunshine Laws meaning <br />open meeting provisions and complying with the rule that there not be private meetings and <br />decision - making, rather than open meetings where the public can hear what is going on. <br />Similarly, in the second sheet that I have here, under Corporation Counsel, these are really <br />comments to testimony that was given on May 8, 2009. Reading the minutes, I think that it <br />was Commissioner Jarman who addressed the issue of the conflict of interest of the <br />Corporation Counsel, between the Mayor's Office, or the Executive Branch, versus the <br />Legislative Branch. She raised a couple of proposals; that perhaps the Corporation Counsel <br />should not be part of the Mayor's cabinet, and therefore part of that very small hui team, and <br />more independent, since it really sways the relationship to be very cozy on one side versus <br />more distant to each of the Council Members, who, in theory, that office is representing <br />equally. One of her other suggestions was really perhaps the second in command, which is <br />now called the Assistant Corporation Counsel, perhaps that person should really take primary <br />responsibility for matters dealing with the Council. What I wrote up here is really sort of <br />incorporating that idea, just one way of doing it. There was some talk about maybe this <br />person shouldn't be called the "assistant." I put in "associate" just to address that minor <br />point. I think this is really the division that goes on in a couple of the other Counties. This <br />isn't anything personal to Lincoln Ashida, in my mind it is a very structural and systemic <br />conflict that is there. So, you would have the "Associate Corporation Counsel" have primary <br />3 <br />