People’s congress proposed for Huntington Beach

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A resident is proposing a people’s congress that

would help the City Council run more effectively while allowing the

entire community to express its views on issues.

The city is so large and diverse that not everyone’s concerns get enough

attention, said Chuck Osterlund, a former candidate for council and

former school board member.

The most recent example of the council’s benign neglect came up during

the debate over building a Wal-Mart at the closed Crest View school on

Talbert Avenue and Beach Boulevard, he said.

The council focused too much on the controversy, which dragged on for

more than five years, he said. Other issues people are concerned about,

such as fixing streets and sewers, should have received more fair play,

he said.

“We don’t necessarily deal with all the issues that are facing us,” he

said.

That would change if the council agrees to form a congress made up of

representatives from all areas of the city who would meet regularly, he

said. Under Osterlund’s plan, which he has already pitched to city

leaders, the council would still make all the final decisions.

Council members reacted coolly to the idea of a people’s congress.

Residents already have plenty of opportunities to express their opinions

on whatever issue strikes their fancy, Councilman Tom Harman said.

Residents can speak at council meetings, write letters to City Hall and

meet privately with government officials, he said.

“We really do respond very well,” he said.

Unlike the Wal-Mart project, many issues that come up don’t affect the

entire city, so a permanent congress wouldn’t make sense, Councilwoman

Shirley Dettloff said. Neighbors who have an interest in the outcome

naturally join together, but, once the issue is resolved, the group

usually breaks up, she said.

Besides, the city doesn’t need another layer of bureaucracy to slow down

government, Harman said.

To try to satisfy the concerns of residents such as Osterlund, who served

on the Ocean View School District’s school board until 1996 and

unsuccessfully ran for a council seat in 1976, the city is planning to

hold a community forum in August that will bring together over a weekend

all the different groups in the city to find out what “visions” and

“dreams” residents have about the future, city spokesman Rich Barnard

said. The forum is only scheduled to be held once, he said.

Osterlund isn’t sure what response he’ll get from the public to his

proposal. There are still some kinks that have to be worked out, such as

how the city should be divided geographically and how many

representatives should be chosen from a precinct, he said. But he doesn’t

doubt that a congress would help the government be more responsive to the

people, he said.

“I think the time is right, and the need is great,” he said.

QUESTION

Do you think the city should start a people’s congress to give

residents more of a voice on local issues? Call our Readers Hotline at

965-7175, fax us at 965-7174 or send e-mail to [email protected]. Please

spell your name and tell us your hometown and phone number for

verification purposes only.