We deserve a say in how Sacramento County spends tax money. This plan will make it easier

If you have a flexible schedule, the daytime meetings of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors are not a problem. But if you’re one of the board’s many constituents who have a job that requires your presence from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., it excludes you from public decision making.

The board holds morning and evening sessions starting at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. respectively, normally on Tuesdays, putting meetings square in the middle of the work day.

Supervisor Phil Serna has proposed including one evening session every quarter in 2020, including during budget hearings in June. These would replace four afternoon sessions.

It’s a modest and fair proposal, and there’s no reason not to adopt it. The board will vote on the plan at its meeting Tuesday.

Offering more flexible meeting times isn’t a matter of following the law – the board does that by allowing public attendance and participation. But the schedule change would better fit the spirit of California’s open meetings rules.

The Brown Act aims to “maximize the opportunity to participate in local government decision making, or at least to observe it,” in the words of Terry Francke, general counsel of Californians Aware, a group that promotes open government.

A shortcoming of the law is that it “really doesn’t reflect the reality that so many local government bodies treat public access as a kind of 9 to 5 thing for the convenience of staff, basically,” said Francke.

The problem with daytime meetings is “the public cannot be there and they make decisions without public comment,” said community advocate Kevin Carter, who goes by Brother Carter.

We know the impact attending supervisors’ meetings can have. Just recently, public comment by tenants and activists compelled the supervisors to consider a moratorium on no-fault evictions. That proposed ordinance is on this week’s agenda. If those who spoke had been unable to attend, the topic might not have even come up.

Especially during budget season, taxpayers deserve a chance to weigh in on how their money gets spent. Last June, the county approved $43 million in cuts, “in large part to fund county jail improvements,” wrote Sacramento Bee reporter Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks. At the urging of members of the public, the board scaled back cuts to social programs.

“It’s the most important set of decisions we make each year, at the same time each year,” said Serna.

Constituents unable to attend meetings in person can watch them live online or on public television on channel 14. Recordings of meetings are also available after the fact. Those who wish to comment on items on the agenda without attending meetings in person can submit comments online. If you need help navigating the county website, saccounty.net, call the office of the clerk of the Board of Supervisors at 916-874-5411.

But while constituents have these options to participate remotely, showing up in person and addressing elected leaders as a captive audience puts a human face on resident concerns.

Serna’s proposal would only affect a fraction of meetings, which typically happen twice a month and sometimes more frequently. The rest would continue to happen during the day. So if you work evenings, it shouldn’t make much difference for you.

As for members of the board, who draw full-time salaries for their roles, it will mean some late nights. But if you signed up to serve the public, you need to make yourself available to do so.