La Palma residents are pushing on video livestreams of the city council meeting

The inhabitants of La Palma, one of the smallest cities of Orange County, continue to demand Video -Live -Streaming access to city council meetings to facilitate the inclusion of the local government from home.

Of the 34 cities in Orange County, only La Palma and Rancho Santa Margarita only offer audio access to their council meetings. Every other city in the district offers a video -live streaming with playback.

The lack of video streaming in public sessions has caused the legislators of the state care legislation to examine laws that are prescribed, among other things, at all meetings of the city council and on the meetings of the district.

[Read: Santana: Defending Your Right to Watchdog Local Government From Home]

In a 2023 investigation by Chapman University, both with Voice of OC, La Palma and Rancho Santa Margarita received a ranking for their limited online access. All other cities received an “A” or “B” pod.

[Read: Making it Easy to Watch Local Government From Home]

Janet Keo Conclin, member of the council of La Palma, tried to advance the problem at the council meeting on January 14, but when she added an application for audio, the efforts died due to the lack of a second.

That means

[Read: La Palma City Hall Resists Residents Watching Official Deliberations From Home]

Council member Janet Keo Conklin at the city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

Now there will be another discussion about live streaming during the meeting on Tuesday evening.

Council members are supposed to discuss targets this evening 2025. The first goal includes a sub -section that mentions that you may use YouTube to stream meetings and events.

In a telephone interview on April 12, the council member Nitesh Patel said that the city's employees wanted to use social media on video with Livestream -Meeting videos.

“We have to make sure that we endow our I's and cross our TS,” said Nitesh Patel.

In a follow-up email on April 24, he said that the employees are preparing for the program of other cities in the first phases of creating a report.

He said the council would probably advance this goal as soon as the city has ended the process of hiring a new city administrator, but does not offer any specific details about costs or timeline.

“As soon as we have determined the preferred methods for radio council meetings and community events, we plan to apply for three to four suggestions,” Nitesh Patel wrote. “These commandments are described in detail and provide a clear implementation strategy in detail in order to effectively promote us.”

On April 28, the city leaders appointed interim city manager and commissioned a company to look for a permanent city administrator after Conal McNamara acted as a city manager in Whittier.

Council member Nitesh Patel at the city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

Although there are no legal requirements for the meeting of Livestream -Meeting videos, most cities offer the option to help residents to follow the city business without having to participate in person.

“Only doing the minimum is not always what everyone can expect or expect,” said Samuel Stone, professor of public administration at the Fullerton College.

“But if you don't hear from your citizens or residents that you want that, it is difficult to do the case that it is really necessary.”

Many cities started on YouTube during pandemic – together with some local school authorities on YouTube.

Residents of La Palma Questions about video Streaming

Audio council meetings can make it difficult for residents to get involved from home, especially for older people, people who are difficult to hear, residents with disabilities or caregivers.

For Barbara Espalin, who has lived in La Palma since 1967, it is a challenge at the age of 84. She realizes that the audio is often difficult to understand.

“The audio doesn't help, I'm difficult to hear,” she wrote in an interview about text on April 8th.

She found that the refusal to ensure video access to meetings reflects a lack of transparency.

“In the city that refuses to stream, I have the feeling that I hide things, because if I can't be there or watch it live, I don't know what's wrong,” she wrote.

The La Palma Civic Center on April 15, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice from OC

Maxine Espalin, another La Palma resident and granddaughter of Barbara Espalin, said that it was a challenge to come to the town hall to take part in meetings as a single mother and to make comments.

“So if there is a problem which options are for me or older people or for people with disabilities?” Maxine Espalin said in an interview on April 1st in the town hall. “I have a friend who has a daughter with disabilities, so she couldn't be here tonight.”

She took part in the council meeting on April 1 and asked the advice to gather the video of the Livestream City Councilor. In an interview after the meeting, she emphasized that the provision of videos would increase the transparency and accessibility for the residents to hire problems that are important to them.

“Why do they make people so difficult to visit the town halls when the rest of Orange County Livestreams (video)?” she said.

Some city officials claim that the claim does not exist.

In an interview on April 1st after a city council meeting, Mayor Mark Waldman said that not very many residents use the existing audio flow.

“If you take a look at how many people hear the audio, there are very few, so there is no demand for the service,” he said.

Mayor Mark Waldman at the city council meeting of La Palma on April 1, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

He said it was not necessary to change the current system because adding video would not increase transparency.

“We speak and test our voices orally,” said Waldman.

The city councilor Conclin said that she supported the addition of videos to increase accessibility and cited moments during the presentations of the employees, as an online viewer, could not see any elements projected on the screen in the council chambers.

She added that she had nothing to hide.

“My core value is transparency and accountability,” she said in an interview after the city council meeting on April 1.

Council members Vikesh Patel – the brother of Nitesh Patels – and Debbie Baker did not respond to inquiries.

Council member Vikesh Patel at the city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

Council member Debbie Baker at the city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

Robert Carruth, another inhabitant of La Palma, said that the council should pursue the example of other small cities that have already implemented videos. He has been a local watchdog in the city since 2010 and loudly about this topic in recent years.

“Why don't we do what any other city does except Rancho Santa Margarita, including small cities like Los Alamitos, Villa Park and Stanton?” He said in a telephone interview on April 9th.

“The residents shouldn't have to beg for it.”

Is the problem the problem?

La Palma officers say that Live -Streaming City Councilor meetings are simply too expensive.

“The costs are exorbitant,” said Nitesh Patel. “If we bring in something that brings 100,000 or 150,000 US dollars for the implementation, we will shout and shout us and say:” Well, that's too expensive. “

Mayor Pro Tem Nitesh Patel at the city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

The city councilor Conclin said that the costs were not a good justification for the refusal to stream video because the council provided money for the updating of the Audio stream and the renovation of the town hall.

Carruth agreed that costs should not be a problem.

“The money is there,” said Carruth. “They only refuse to make public access to public sessions a higher priority.”

The cost of live stream videos can vary depending on the city.

Aliso Viejo spends over 13,000 US dollars for Video Livestream meetings on Granicus, a software company used by governments, says City Clerk Janet Martinez.

In Placentia Live Streams with Granicus, which offers an online archive for conferences and videos. According to Nicolette Drulias, the entire contract of communication and marketing is an average of around 40,000 US dollars a year.

In Brea, according to Liz Pharis, the public information officer, the city spends a little more than 3,600 US dollars a year for Livestream meetings with the Cablecast Reflect Plus System.

Mayor Waldman said that he would not keep the members of the public from the meetings themselves in La Palma.

“Everyone can come and bring the meeting to video,” he said.

Why live stream video?

Marisol Ramirez, Interim Co-Executive Director of the Orange County Civic Reporting Database, a project that follows and evaluates transparency and accessibility in the local government in all of Orange County, increases a video option for council meetings for council meetings.

“Bad local participation is definitely a symptom of poor accessibility,” she said in a telephone interview on April 1. “It is not a justification for it.”

Stone, Fullerton College Professor, said the problem affects not only residents, but also business owners in the city.

“It is expensive to send an employee there to be present at a city council meeting, especially if you vote about something that affects your business like a contract or a change in the zoning,” he said.

The city council meeting of La Palma on January 14, 2025. Credit: Erika Taylor, voice of OC

Other government agencies have already updated their platforms to add a video -live streaming option for the use of residents.

After years of the student in which he was streamed by video live streaming of the city of Laguna Woods and the Orange County Transportation Agency Live, Video -Live -Live -St streaming -Streaming streaming began last year.

[Read: OC’s Transportation Agency Begins Video Streaming Public Meetings]

The Grove Unified School District garden also moved to Livestream in March and competed in the majority of the school districts who offer a live stream.

[Read: Garden Grove Unified Starts Livestreaming School Board Meetings]

According to Ramirez, all residents can work for topics for which they are passionate.

“That's why the local government fails its population,” said Ramirez.

“The municipal administration does not always have the feeling of exceeding itself to meet the community in which they are.”

Isabel Torres is a voice of OC internship. You can contact you at Isabtorres@chapman.edu

Angelina Hicks is the voice of the OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact them at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13

Erika Taylor is a voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow and photojournalist. You can find them on Instagram @CamerakeepSrolling or by e -mail to etaylor@voiceofoc.org

Leave a Comment Cancel reply