Letter to the Editor:
Why Is Burbank City Council Amending Our City Charter?
This coming Tuesday, August 12, the Burbank City Council will vote on amending the City Charter to reduce the size of several Boards and Commissions, including the Police Commission. This is a hasty action being taken without sufficient public input and should be rejected. If you believe, as I do, that Burbank is made stronger by a diversity of perspectives and a spirit of collaboration and inclusiveness, you should tell City Council to pull this new ordinance from the Consent Calendar and refer it back to staff for further review and discussion. This charter amendment will limit opportunities for citizen oversite and will lead to a less inclusive city government. If you think, as I do, that this is the wrong direction for Burbank, tell our City Council by emailing them (citycouncil@burbankca.gov), and, even better, coming to Council on August 12 to voice your opinion in person.
Burbank City Boards and Commissions are specified in our City Charter, and are intended to “…advise the City and the Council on matters of public concern.” (Charter of the City of Burbank, Article 7). If the City Council intends to amend this code, it should only be done following an inclusive and collaborative process, a process that to date has been done with little public input.
There are many important issues our City Council should be addressing. Limiting public input isn’t one of them.
Eddy Polon
Burbank
