HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-A Public CommentRemarks to Palm Springs City Council on Public Integrity Ordinance and Climate Action Roadmap
Good evening Mayor Holstege Mayor Pro tem Middleton, and Councilmembers. My name is David
Freedman. I wanted to provide a brief follow-up to my comments for last week's Council meeting on Agenda
items 3A and 5C.
Concerning the amendments to the Public Integrity Ordinance, I am speaking in my individual capacity as
former co-chair of the Transparency Committee of the Ethics, Transparency & Governmental Reform Task
Force. I was pleased to see that the proposed ordinance now includes my suggestion to require recusal
when a City official serves as a board member of a nonprofit that has taken a position on a matter before
the City. I support the amended ordinance and urge its adoption.
Concerning the climate action roadmap, I am Vice Chair of the Sustainability Commission and am speaking
on behalf of the Commission. As you know, world leaders are now gathered in Glasgow at the COP26
climate change summit. At the opening ceremony, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres declared that
we are careening towards climate catastrophe.
Closer to home, a new study from UCLA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found that climate
change is now the overwhelming cause of conditions driving extreme wildfire behavior in the western US.
The Sustainabiliry Commission looks forward to your direction on concrete actions that we and staff have
identified as means to reduce GHG emissions in Palm Springs, as noted in the climate action roadmap and
staff report. We should think globally along those in Glasgow, but we must act locally and we must act now.
Thank you for your consideration. I am available for any questions you may have.
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Anthony Mejia
From: David Freedman <dfreedman2@dc.rr.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2021 4:45 PM
To: Anthony Mejia
Subject: Written public comment on Agenda Item 3A
NOTICE: This message originated outside of The City of Palm Springs -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you are
sure the content is safe.
Hello Anthony,
As my oral public comment on Agenda Item 4B will take close to the allotted two minutes, I would like to provide a
supplemental written public comment on Agenda Item 3A, the proposed amendment to the Public Integrity Ordinance. In
20161 served as co-chair of the Transparency Committee of the Ethics, Transparency & Governmental Reform Task Force,
and I provided comments when the Public Integrity Ordinance was being drafted and adopted in 2018.
agree with the proposed amendments to the Public Integrity Ordinance. However, I recommend that the ordinance also
require recusal when the City official serves in the indicated capacities of a non-profit entity and that entity has taken a
position on the matter that is the subject of the vote. Many of the Board and Commission members serve on various
neighborhood- and community -based organizations that ask the City to take requested action, which most often will not
have any financial impact on the organization but nevertheless will further its stated mission. Under the general principle of
conflicts of interest that "one cannot serve two masters," a member of a Board or Commission should not vote or advocate
for a particular outcome on a matter while also serving on a nonprofit that has taken a position on the same matter.
note that in general the City Council members have recused themselves in this situation even though they are not required
to do so under state law or the Public Integrity Ordinance. This practice should also be extended to members of City Boards
and Commissions.
Finally, I noticed a small typo in the mark-up language of Section 2.60.040 (D). On the ninth line, "as" should be "has".
would appreciate it if you could forward this email to Council and include it in the agenda correspondence for tomorrow's
Council meeting.
Best,
David
David Freedman
Email: dfreedman2 )dc.rr.com
Home: (760) 832 8268
Cell: (347) 634 2723
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