The politics of highly effective appointments makes democracy messy. | Monterey County NOW Intro

Sara Rubin right here, fascinated about how elections get a whole lot of consideration—and for candidates, they take a whole lot of effort—however it’s not till after officers are elected that the work truly begins. 

Among the first duties are normally largely ceremonious. That features appointments to varied committees, boards and commissions, the place a lot of the particular coverage work is completed.

Who will get highly effective appointments is of course a matter of politics. Additionally it is a matter of illustration. And typically, these issues collide. 

When Salinas Metropolis Council met on Jan. 10, Mayor Kimbley Craig beneficial appointments to a variety of boards and commissions. She described a course of that included a variety of things: What councilmembers requested; scheduling and availability; getting new voices on boards that had had years-long illustration. 

Councilmember Anthony Rocha arrived ready for a political battle over who would characterize town on the board of Monterey One Water, the regional wastewater therapy company that these days finds itself caught within the extremely political saga of the Monterey Peninsula’s water provide future and Cal Am’s function in it.  

Craig beneficial appointing herself, beforehand an alternate, to serve on the board of M1W, and Rocha advocated to nominate himself as a substitute. “The one space the place [Craig and I] disagreed was M1W—it was my perception that her and I’ve a really totally different philosophy…because it pertains to water coverage,” Rocha stated. 

Then he addressed Craig straight: “I feel you’re an clever particular person, a reliable particular person—I feel that’s one thing you and I each share, however this isn’t about intelligence or competence, this can be a matter of imaginative and prescient and values. The truth is we’ve a distinct council majority that has a distinct imaginative and prescient for this metropolis.”

Rocha was referring to an upset in District 5, the place Councilmember Andrew Sandoval ousted incumbent Christie Cromeenes. The pondering was that Sandoval—who’d received endorsements from Rocha and the other three Latino members of City Council—would solidify a voting majority of 5-2. However within the first take a look at of what had been considered as a potential voting block—whether or not or to not appoint Rocha to M1W, as a substitute of Craig—the take a look at failed. 

Councilmembers Rocha, Sandoval and Carla Viviana González voted for Rocha. Two of Sandoval’s political allies, Tony Barrera and Orlando Osornio, voted to maintain the mayor in her seat, and he or she prevailed, 4-3. The political winds don’t all the time blow within the route you anticipate them to blow. 

Votes like this are occurring in every single place, with regards to appointing electeds and likewise common individuals who serve in numerous management roles. In Pacific Grove, Mayor Bill Peake faced criticism for his suggestions to remake town’s Variety, Fairness and Inclusion Job Power, regardless of curiosity from former members in persevering with to serve—whilst their quick observe file thus far has been spectacular. (Given the political nature of such appointments, I’m unsurprised that Peake opted not to recommend Mike Wachs to any of the 4 positions to which he utilized; Wachs ran in opposition to Peake in November and misplaced.)

Most appointments occur with little dialogue. Appointments to the regional planning company LAFCO (Native Company Formation Fee) are routinely a scorching problem as a result of significance of the fee, and particularly now, given than LAFCO has been thrust into the general public highlight for extremely charged and consequential selections concerning the Monterey Peninsula’s water purveyor and growth in Soledad. 

At a gathering of the County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 17, the board chair, Supervisor Luis Alejo, submitted his suggestions for who needs to be appointed to 2 LAFCO seats: himself and Supervisor Chris Lopez, each of whom beforehand served on LAFCO. 

Supervisor Wendy Root Askew provided up her personal suggestion: Appoint herself and newly elected Glenn Church, axing Alejo and Lopez from the influential fee. Lopez instructed a compromise plan: Reappoint himself, and add Church to the roster.

It was a political scorching potato, testing the alliances on the brand new board, as I wrote about in a column in the current issue of the Weekly. Would Church adhere to the established order and wait a 12 months for his flip, go for a compromise, or upend the facility construction? He selected the latter.

The brand new LAFCO board is assembly for the primary time proper now, together with swearing within the new commissioners and congratulating the previous ones. You may take part within the assembly on-line at this link.