I want to publicly thank Janine Rivera for her invitation to join other community members to “show support for democracy” on Sat. Oct. 17.
While much attention is focused on threats to democracy in Washington, we need look no further than our own San Diego County Board of Supervisors to find citizen participation in the vice grip of a board majority seemingly intent on suppressing our local voices.
For those of us living in Alpine and other unincorporated areas of the county, this is particularly consequential, as we have no mayor or city council. The County Board of Supervisors is our local governing body, making decisions that directly affect our property rights, land use, wildfire safety, economic development, and quality of life.
Our voices at the Board are not a courtesy to be granted. They are an essential part of our representative republic. Yet incrementally, we’re being squeezed out.
Most recently, the board’s three-member progressive majority voted to limit speakers to commenting on just three discussion items—a restriction that First Amendment Coalition Legal Director David Loy reportedly called “a bridge too far.”
This erosion of public participation has taken several forms:
• Rationing public comment: Slashing speaking time from three minutes to two, and just one minute for high-interest items.
• Suppressing public expression: Prohibiting applause during public comment while allowing it for Board proclamations.
• Selective enforcement: Tolerating a roughly 20-minute union takeover of chambers on April 30, 2024, while ejecting other speakers for lesser disruptions.
For rural unincorporated residents, these restrictions carry a greater weight. Decisions about battery energy storage facilities, evacuation routes, wildfire hazards, and rural development are not abstract political debates. They can determine whether our communities remain safe, desirable, and promote a good quality of life.
When residents petition their government only to be told they have spoken too often, taken too much time, or commented on too many agenda items, what message does that send to the very people the government exists to serve?
Democracy is not a privilege reserved only for agreeable voices, nor should public participation be rationed according to the whims of elected officials fatigued by frequent speakers.
For unincorporated East County, the Board of Supervisors isn’t some distant layer of government. It is our City Hall, and the public-comment microphone is one of the few direct avenues we have to be heard.
If we’re going to “defend democracy”, let’s start at the County Administration Center by protecting the ability of unincorporated area residents to comment on all discussion items, not just three.
As Alice discovered when facing the Queen of Hearts, the proper response to arbitrary and authoritarian decisions isn’t silence – it’s the bold courage to take a stand and push back.
I’m looking forward to connecting on Oct. 17 to raise awareness on this issue. Let’s tell the Board of Supervisors in no uncertain terms:
NO QUEENS IN SAN DIEGO!
Mary Davis
Alpine