Government meetings can be dull. Or they can be a hive of histrionics, placard waving, and grandstanding.
The Los Gatan, a brand-new local media source, listens in on local government meetings. Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. (Library of Congress) Public Domain
Even as newspapers are shuttering all over the country, the Los Gatan is starting up—celebrating its debut with a spot of wine. Los Gatos is as peaceful and picket-fence-lined as any hamlet in a 1950s sitcom. But like any other municipality, city meetings require close watching, a job the Los Gatan has excelled at so far.
Government meetings can be orderly—dull yet necessary. They can also be a hive of histrionics, placard waving, and grandstanding. Such was the Sept. 7 meeting of the Los Gatos Town Council. Facing simmering wrath over a hate-crimes measure and the resignation a few days earlier of police chief Peter Decena, Mayor Marico Sayoc tried hopelessly to keep order. The breaking point came when the mayor said Los Gatos Police Officers Association President Bryan Paul had run over his alloted three minutes and a donnybrook broke out among his supporters, who wanted to hear more—forcing the council to reconvene the meeting on Zoom. The Town Council will meet next on Oct. 5; we’re hoping to read more about it on LosGatan.com.
