Open Government director raises concerns about clerk testimony and representation in meeting minutes

Ray Hartz, director of San Francisco Open Government, addressed the Board of Supervisors during public comment on Jan. 21, 2020, and said that on Jan. 17 Clerk of the Board Angel Calvillo testified before the San Francisco Ethics Commission in a way Hartz described as troubling for open-government practices.

Hartz quoted parts of Calvillo’s testimony and told the board: "the president has deputized me to represent him on the department's behalf," and later recounted Calvillo as saying that if the board created a process for 150-word statements and 40 people submitted them, the clerk's office could be overwhelmed. Hartz said Calvillo added, "You put out the word on Fox News, and for some unfortunate situations that Fox News was upset about, they could get their entire customer base, client base to send us 150 word statements, and we would be in a world of hurt trying to get people through those statements to get to the back of the agenda."

Hartz said he has been advocating for his "constitutionally protected political free speech" to be represented in the minutes of the Board of Supervisors and other public bodies, and told the board he had long fought to ensure such representation. He said the testimony, as he described it, suggested some audiences would be excluded or disadvantaged in how their statements are recorded.

The board did not take formal action in response to the comments during the special meeting. Hartz framed his remarks as information for the board about the Ethics Commission testimony and about representation in meeting minutes.