Open government: must-see TV?

If you think all these meetings we're constantly writing about in the Simi Valley Acorn, i.e. City Council, school board, planning commission, are intriguing on paper, you should try them out in person.

Attendance at such meetings isn't only the responsibility of every civic-minded community member, it can also be, get this- entertaining.

Yes, we said it. Entertaining. And it doesn't cost $10 a ticket.

Sure, no one's going to mistake city hall for the Sunset Strip, but on any given Monday our City Council chambers can be filled with as much passion, conflict and achievement as any Hollywood script.

And what goes on actually matters. It changes lives. It alters futures. It determines what Simi Valley is going to be like today and what it's going to be like for our children's children.

The City Council, which meets at 6:30 p.m. on two Mondays each month, and the planning commission, which meets on Wednesdays, have made it easy for the public to tune in, offering webcasts of its meetings (which can be viewed live or months after the fact) in addition to live telecasts on Channel 10. Check them out at simivalley.org. The school board, which meets at 6:30 p.m. at least one Tuesday every month, appears only on "regular" TV.

All technology aside, there's no substitute for the thrill of open government live and in person. Only in America do we take for granted the chance to speak our minds freely and without retribution to our public officials, if only for a couple of minutes.

Don't think this is an exciting proposition? Maybe ask some friends from the Middle East or China for their opinion.

So make it a hobby to check out the agendas of all our major public meetings (don't forget the park district) on a regular basis. If you can't get them online, show up at city hall or the school district offices and get them in person. They're generally available online by the Friday before the scheduled gathering.

In the case of the City Council, these agendas are very userfriendly, explaining what is going to be discussed and in what order, in addition to what action the council will consider taking on each item. But be aware, some of the best viewing occurs during public and council comments.

The time has come to throw away those notions of civic participation as boring and dull. The real human drama, the drama that matters, isn't on NBC, CBS or FOX. It's down at city hall; and if you're not there, or at least tuning in, you're missing out.