Long Beach : Council to Hear Comments at Beginning of Meetings

Talking to the Long Beach City Council about non-agenda items will soon no longer be a matter of slow torture.

The council is setting aside 30 minutes at the start of its weekly meetings to allow members of the public to comment on matters not listed on the regular agenda. Currently, those wishing to make such comments have to wait until the end of the meeting, a wait that can sometimes consume most of the day.

“I got fed up with waiting and waiting to speak,” explained Sid Solomon, who, as political action chairman of Long Beach Area Citizens Involved, often addresses the council. Solomon spearheaded the drive for an earlier public comment period, gathering the support of 20 local organizations and Councilman Evan Anderson Braude, who introduced the proposal.

The public comment period at the end of the meeting will remain, leaving anyone who misses the first period another chance to make remarks. An ordinance is being prepared to make the changes, which will not go into effect until the ordinance is passed.