Open Government Commission schedules Nov. 16–20 Open Government Week, elects chair and vice chair and weighs translation and records policies

The Open Government Commission reviewed plans to repeat Open Government Week Nov. 16–20, voted to install new leadership and examined language-access and public-records procedures at its regular meeting.

Commissioners discussed last year’s activities — a mayoral proclamation, an “ask a commissioner” booth in the library foyer and a Free Speech Pavilion session — and staff proposed repeating those outreach efforts during the week that begins with the city council meeting on Nov. 16. Staff said they will prepare a draft proclamation and council correspondence for the commission to review so the council can consider the item before the commission’s final meeting in November.

The commission unanimously elected Anne Marie McCauley as chair and Blanca Berbury as vice chair; both officers’ terms begin at the next meeting. The appointments were taken by roll call after members nominated and seconded their preferred candidates.

On its 2026–27 work plan, staff reported the Open Government Office video and training item as complete and noted a three‑year cadence for recertification. New commissioners confirmed they had completed the posted training and staff said training completion is tracked by affidavit submitted to the clerk’s office.

Language access and meeting accessibility drew extended discussion. Staff reported the city plans to replace the Wordly platform with a similar translation system and to add in‑room supports: signage, a small kiosk and four city iPads at the city clerk’s desk configured with the translation service. The clerk said the iPads will allow attendees to scroll back through live translation text at their own pace and that staff will post a permanent QR code for translation access on the city’s virtual meeting window. Commissioners requested community pilot testing with local service providers (mentioned: Nueva Vida, Jorge Mendoza, Varamba and the South County Task Force) so Spanish‑speaking residents can evaluate the system before full deployment. Staff also proposed that meeting organizers include a translation request on the agenda when live interpreters are needed, with advance notice.

The commission reviewed public-records activity for the first quarter and debated whether police-related materials — specifically body-camera and dash-camera footage collected via the Flock system — are appealable to the Open Government Office when the police department denies release. Staff said most camera requests are routed to PD for legal review and that state case law affects releaseability; they also noted the city posts agency‑sharing details on the Flock website. Commissioners asked whether location logs and logs of who has accessed Flock data are public records and whether requesters denied by PD could appeal to the Open Government Office rather than first pursuing litigation; staff said some requests will require court decisions and that the outcome depends on the specific records and legal circumstances.

Motions and formal actions recorded during the meeting included approval of the draft Feb. 12 minutes (motion by McColley; seconded by Spence) and receipt of the public‑records report (motion by McCauley; seconded by Bents); both passed on roll call.

The commission asked staff to assemble example codes of ethics (staff cited Morgan Hill as one example encountered in research) and to bring a short package of model documents to the next meeting for commissioner review. The body of business concluded with no further public comment and the meeting adjourned.

The commission’s next regular meeting was noted on the agenda as Aug. 13, when members expect to finalize the proclamation and council materials for Open Government Week.