In a move that limits public accessibility to city government, the Los Angeles City Council has quietly ended the option for phone-in public comments during meetings, a practice introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The option to participate remotely was notably absent from the Jan. 7 City Council agenda, breaking with past custom.
According to the Los Angeles Times, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson decided to return to the pre-pandemic structure in an effort to shorten meeting times.
“People who come to the council can give public testimony. If you want to give testimony without showing up, you’re free to do that in writing or in other ways,” Harris-Dawson told The Times, referring to the alternative of submitting comments online.
The decision to eliminate phone-in comments is a significant setback for many residents, particularly those with disabilities, the elderly, or those who simply can’t attend in-person sessions during weekday working hours.
Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents District 14, has expressed opposition to the move. She argues that eliminating the phone-in option makes it harder for people with full-time jobs to engage in local government.
“It’s just about providing people another form of a way to communicate and engage in a way that they’re able. Because it’s also about ability, too,” she said in an interview with the Beat.
Jurado, who previously worked as a tenants’ rights attorney, said she, as a single mother who worked full time, had utilized the option to phone in during public comment about matters related to renters’ rights.
On the campaign trail for the CD 14 seat, Jurado stressed the importance of demystifying city government and emphasized civic engagement in different forms, including having a seat at the table during the decision-making process.
Before the end of phone-in comments, meeting agendas included instructions for public participation via phone. Though most callers stuck to the agenda, the format sometimes led to off-topic or inappropriate remarks.
While phone-in comments were also allowed during City Council committee meetings earlier in the pandemic, they were phased out once in-person meetings resumed.
As of now, it’s unclear if the city plans to reinstate phone-in comments in the future.