Emeryville is One of the Last Cities to Open Up Public Meetings to In-Person

Emeryville Vies With Oakland to be Last in Democracy

Both Cities are the Last Holdouts for Public Meetings

Opinion/News Analysis

As the Covid pandemic settles down into epidemic status, cities across the Bay Area are opening their city council meetings back up for full public in-person participation.  It’s a flowering of democracy after the long dark night.   However, two cities continue to be closed; Emeryville and Oakland.  They're the last holdouts.  

For months now, the State of California has allowed cities their discretion for opening the people’s city halls to the people and Emeryville’s neighbors (save Oakland) have done that.  

The following neighboring cities have completely opened up for full democracy:

• Berkeley
• Hayward 
• Piedmont 
• Orinda
• Walnut Creek 
• El Cerrito

The following cities are now in the process of opening back up:

• Lafayette 
• Alameda

The following cities are closed indefinitely:

• Oakland
• Emeryville 

During the pandemic, cities used Zoom to try to facilitate the people being able to still participate in their government but online access was shown to be a pale and anemic simulacrum of democracy.  Whole classes of people, including the elderly and the poor were shut out.  Anytime entire classes of people are (effectively) barred, it cannot be described as democratic.  And that holds true for Emeryville today.  Emeryville has not had democracy since March 19th 2020.

Hayward City Hall
Enlightened
Poor people and even elderly people can come here
and freely speak out about government policies.

So why does our city council not want to open City Hall back up for full throated democracy?  They are invoking the fear of Covid.  Does that mean our city council thinks neighboring city councils are reckless for opening up?  Does the Emeryville city council think the Berkeley city council is negligent and imprudent?  Do they think the city council of Hayward is foolhardy and thoughtless?  Is the Walnut Creek city council brash and audacious? Or maybe it’s the Emeryville city council.  Maybe the Emeryville city council is just more comfortable keeping meetings closed.

The public is messy, loud and opinionated.  They have strong opinions and they don’t mind telling their local government about it.  The elderly and the poor too.  Sometimes they’re not happy with policies coming out of City Hall.  If they could be silenced, the meetings would be so much more comfortable for the city council.  Who wants to be yelled at and berated? 

The public speaking freely can be messy.
The establishment authority sometimes
doesn't like it so much.

But the Emeryville city council and the staff are paid to take the public being unhappy with them.  It’s supposed to be part of the job.  This city council likes to attack public commenters who are critical.  When they attack public commenters, they show us they don’t accept the compact with the public that government employees are required to accept.  Is this anti-democratic culture at Emeryville City Hall affecting the city council’s decision to keep public meetings closed?  Or is it that they simply want to protect us from disease as they say (and Berkeley doesn't)?  

We’re keeping tabs on this and it doesn't look good for Emeryville.  Right now it’s the City of Oakland and the City of Emeryville neck and neck in last place for democracy.  Oakland?   Really, Emeryville?  Someone should tell Emeryville that Oakland is a low bar.  

Is Emeryville going to wait until the State of California finally forces them to open up their meetings for democracy?  Only our city council, the same city council that publicly attacks dissenters that have the audacity of speaking out in full throated democratic fashion, knows for sure.

Elderly people commonly have a tough time with these 
computer contraptions.  Maybe it's easier to just forget about 
speaking out at the online city council meeting.  Judge Judy beckons
and she's on at the same time as the city council meetings.