For years, Lemon Grove stood out among San Diego County cities as one of the few that didn’t offer livestreams of its City Council meetings. That will soon change after city leaders approved audiovisual upgrades to their council chambers that will allow residents to tune in to meetings remotely.
The Lemon Grove City Council last week unanimously approved a $240,000 contract to remodel the city’s audiovisual system, a move that will modernize meeting accessibility, streamline archives and put the city in line with new state requirements.
The update is welcomed by meeting attendees and city staff alike; residents advocated for increased accessibility to remote viewing for years. Staff have complained that the current audio system periodically malfunctions during public comment or while City Council members are speaking from the dais.
To date, the sole form of live access to council meetings comes by way of a Facebook livestream hosted by Mayor Pro Tem Jessyka Heredia, who has done so for years.
“This is the best moment ever, I am so excited,” Heredia said. “This is a real testament to everybody here, we all did this, we all continually advocated for this and to use our PEG (Public Education and Government Access) funds in the manner in which they are supposed to be used.”
While most municipalities began livestreaming meetings post-pandemic, access varies across the county. For instance, access to closed captioning and online-public comments differs on a case-by-case basis, with funding playing an important role.
After years of financial struggles, a few city leaders wanted the city to dip into its Public Education and Government Access fund to pay for the project.
Under recent changes to the Brown Act, most cities in California will be required to offer remote participation for public meetings by July 1.
While the change in state law doesn’t require all municipalities to livestream their meetings, it certainly forced Lemon Grove to embrace a hybrid model that allows residents to participate without being present in council chambers.
“This project is more than technical, it’s a leap forward in how we provide greater transparency and access to our residents,” City Clerk Joel Pablo said.
Once completed, the upgraded technology will allow for reliable live streaming of meetings via the city’s website, as well as the option for residents to provide public comment remotely.
The project will include a large display screen behind the dais and two smaller display screens on opposite sides of the chamber, where presentation materials and live-video of public speakers can be viewed by meeting attendees. Closed-captioning will be displayed on at least one display, according to the city’s proposal.
At least three cameras will provide visuals of the entire dais, the speaker podium and the audience.
City leaders approved an agreement with Western Audio Visual & Security, a company that has upgraded audio visual systems for dozens of cities across the county.
The contract outlined a four- to six-week timeline for completion of the project after equipment is received. During that time, council meetings will be relocated to the Lemon Grove Library Community Room, though the installation schedule has yet to be finalized.