One Man, One Minute

A Temecula resident is on a mission to give citizens more time to speak freely at public meetings.

Paul Jacobs, a former member of the city’s Public/Traffic Safety Commission, plans to urge the City Council to give more time for public comments during meetings.

The City Council is made up of five elected members. It meets every second and fourth Tuesday with few exceptions at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center.

The public is allowed to come to a podium in the council chambers and talk to the members during various parts of the meeting.

Most of these periods are set aside for people who want to talk about what the Council is voting on that day, but it also gives a period of time near the beginning of the meeting for people to talk about anything unrelated to what the council’s deciding. During this part, each person can talk for 2 minutes.

This is too short to give a meaningful message, Jacobs said. “Temecula’s current policy is rather draconian,” he said. “The county, most local cities and municipalities provide three minutes for this purpose.”

Murrieta, Wildomar, Canyon Lake and Menifee give the public 3 minutes to speak. Lake Elsinore gives only one, according to city records.

Each city’s council works differently, and the amount of time given varies, said Susan Jones, the city clerk.

In Temecula’s defense, the council put the public comment section near the beginning of the meeting, whereas some put it at the end, she said. “They can get it done and don’t have to wait through the entire meeting.”

The city also gives 5 minutes per person during the comments period for items they’re voting on, which is more than most cities, she said.

Jacobs asked council members via e-mail to extend the time, but they turned him down, he said. He hopes if other members of the public join him in the request, their opinion will change.

Jacobs addresses the council often, and getting his point across in less than 2 minutes is hard, he said. “Limiting speakers to 2 minutes adds undue pressure, and I believe it is an infringement on the spirit of free speech,” he said. “The Temecula City Council does not embrace the founding values of our nation and tyrannically insist on keeping the two-minute policy.”

The time limit was in place for at least 20 years, according to Jones. The City Council – then with different members – gave itself the right to set the time limits in 1994 when it approved its rules of conduct, she said.

The Council meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 28690 Mercedes St.