I did some public speaking last week, which, as you might assume, is not typical. I was due to attend the August 18 meeting of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to join three other reps of organizations to make a presentation opposing the local utility’s proposal to put a high-voltage Powerlink through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and other natural areas in the county. (The supervisors are more significant here than in many other areas, particularly in the East, because most of the county is unincorporated, including Fallbrook. The “local” government is the county.)
It was a surprise to learn one of the supervisors was sponsoring a proclamation honoring Anza-Borrego Foundation to be presented at the same meeting. As president of the ABF board, I was to attend and respond to the proclamation, joined by several other board members. Whole thing was to take about five minutes.
(This is long, I know. I hope that at times it verges on interesting.)
I dressed a little more formally than I usually do. Sport coat, “formal shoes.” I hadn’t found the shoes I wanted to wear, but I did find my Navy uniform shoes. Black and shiny (and old). I put them in the car, intending to put them on when I arrived. I was wearing beat-up slippers for the drive. After arriving, I put the left shoe on and then, as I was tying the right shoe, I noticed it was sticking to the pavement and leaving marks. In less than a minute, the sole on that shoe disintegrated.
Thank goodness, I keep the shoes I wear for my volunteer shifts at REINS in the car. The 40+-year-old brown Timberland hiking shoes would not have been my choice, but they were the only choice then. You can get a view of my shoes at right. Thankfully, they were rarely visible. When I mentioned what happened to my fellow board members in attendance, one said the hiking shoes better conveyed our nature conservancy identity. 🙂
The proclamation session went well and was earlier than we had been told. This video on YouTube is 5:33. Supervisor Desmond speaks for about 2:30 and then it’s my turn for the remainder.
We had been told our later presentation to the board opposing the Golden Pacific Powerlink would be sometime 10 am-noon. We sat through the agenda, waiting for our item #25. Generally, for each item, there is sometimes a speaker, then discussion among the supervisors, and then public comment. Public comments are limited by time (usually two minutes), not number. They can be made in person or on the phone.
There are evidently people who come to these meetings regularly to make public statements. They don’t always talk about the substance. Sometimes, it’s just to complain about things. One young woman, with a shock of purple hair out the side of an otherwise shaved head, who gave her name as “allegedly,” which was also on her teeshirt, commented on every agenda item. Not about the topic, but about how much she found the board to be irresponsible, ineffectual, and/or corrupt. There were also a lot of people, relatively, criticizing the board for not opposing vaccination requirements.
Noon came and went. Then item 24 came. A proposal to end contracts that permitted ICE and Customs and Border Patrol agents to conduct firearm training at SD County gun ranges. Gee no controversy there. Tons of comments. They eventually voted 3-2 to end the contracts. But now it was 1:55. The chair called a recess for lunch with the meeting to resume at 2:45.
Our presentation took a little over 10 minutes. At link below, scroll below the screen and select topic 25. Our turn starts with a brief introduction at 5:08:51. My portion starts shortly thereafter (5:09:30) and lasts about three minutes.
https://sdcounty.granicus.com/player/clip/3948?view_id=9&redirect=true
When it ended, the clerk said there were 400+ people who wanted to comment, 404 in opposition to GPP. Twenty-something were to comment in person. I stayed for the in-person comments, limited to one minute each, but by then it was 4 pm. I left.
I had put my dog outdoors at 7 am, believing I would be home early afternoon. I didn’t get home until 5:30. Forty-two miles trip in 90 minutes. Baxter was excited to see me. 🙂
I was pooped, despite sitting 95 percent of the time. It was an early bedtime.
Long way still to go in the fight for the Park.