At the November 19, 2024, Newberry CSD general meeting, Agenda Item D involved a proposal by Director Jack Unger to modify the policies of recording the board's Minutes.

    Modifications were discussed at a long length, modified, and eventually adopted. What is shocking is what was left in the District's policy. Look at the yellow highlighted lines below of the policy as it existed at the meeting. Red were proposed adoptions.

    For a decade, I have argued before the CSD board that the meetings should be audio or video recorded. Few public governmental meetings are not recorded. To find one, it is necessary to find an incompetent and unprofessional board such as a CSD in the Mojave Valley.

    The second yellow highlight above has never been followed. The Minutes for the past decade have not included the public's comments on items not on the agenda. This has been the CSD Board's way of ignoring and burying input from the community.

    The second highlighted policy also has a technical error. It requires the names of all commentators. This is in clear violation of the California Brown Act which allows members of the public to speak without the necessity of revealing their names or having their names recorded. If a speaker does not publicly provide a name during the public address period, it should not be recorded even if known.

    The Newberry CSD's consideration of the policy covering the recording of meetings was a logical opportunity to return to audio recordings. Yes, return as the CSD meetings were always audio-recorded until Le Hayes took over as General Manager on January 14, 2014. Hayes had the recording policy changed. He was lazy. His successor was lazy. And now, under the direction of the current Board... ...

    During the Board's recent November meeting, I stated that the written Minutes are far too sparse, lack necessary detail, and do not adequately represent an understanding of what transpires during meetings. Audio or video recordings would greatly assist in preserving a public record of the meetings.

    President and Chair Paula Deel was quick to counter my statements saying that the Board would not consider my suggestion.

    Initially, I didn't understand her logic as an audio recording of meetings is simple and was done for decades. A digital recording can be easily placed on the CSD's website for community members to listen to and is excellent for staff and public reference. This also assists in providing required open transparency.

    Paula Deel then stated her whacky reasoning. She claimed that the CSD was not going to audio-record meetings because the Grand Jury Report (2012-2013) stated that audio recordings should not be done.

    I replied that such is absurd. That not recording public meetings goes against good public policy.

    A fifth grader would understand how asinine President Deel's statement was. Surprisingly, none of the other directors displayed the intelligence or nerve to disagree with Paula Deel's deficiency. (It is how the Board operates.)

    For over a decade, the Grand Jury report has been posted on this website. It can be found here or on this website's main index page. Nowhere in the report does it state what Paula Deel adamantly claims.  Nowhere!

    Under Paula Deel's leadership as chairwoman and the ignorance of the other directors, the Newberry CSD continues to perpetuate bad public policies.