I have a great friend who lives in Pismo Beach, and I visit him twice a month to watch the city council for entertainment. This last meeting, however, was not entertaining; it was pathetic. As I understand it, the only way that a council member can now place anything on the agenda is to have the rest of the council endorse the subject. I see this as a direct slam against Councilman Bill Rabenaldt, since he is the only one who seems to bring forward issues on behalf of the public.
Now the three most incapable people are going to decide what’s best for the residents of Pismo beach. They did a great job of silencing the only person who truly represents the growing consensus of the people of Pismo Beach. Even Councilman Ted Ehring got it and could not go along with their blatant abuse of power and disregard for the input of their constituents. I think that they forget, at times, that people are watching their actions on television. So, City Manager Kevin M. Rice, Shelly Higgenbotham, Kris Vardas, and Mary Ann Reiss, go ahead with this different kind of censorship of Rabenaldt and see where it gets you.
This article appears in Jul 17-24, 2008.