East County News Service
January 6, 2025 (La Mesa) – Tomorrow at 9 a.m., the Grossmont Healthcare District board of directors will consider a proposal by newly elected board member Nadia Farjood to change the board’s meeting times to evenings or weekends. But a survey of board members shows no support for that plan. The board previously experimented with holding evening meetings but found that attendance by the public dropped, multiple members noted.
Farjood, an attorney, has said that her day job prevents her from attending any meetings Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., when she has court appearances, as well as from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second and third Tuesdays each month.
While the board has changed its meeting times more than once during the past election year, none of its meeting times were during the hours when Farjood has said she could participate.
“Rescheduling the meeting from 9 a.m. time will help accommodate all Board member work schedules and enhance public access,” she states in response to a survey of board members on meeting date/time availability. She also states that she believes weekend meetings are not ideal for staff, leaving only weeknight meetings as options, in her view.
She notes that the La Mesa City Council meetings at 6 p.m., and that both Palomar Health and Fallbrook Regional Health districts’ boards meeting evenings. She also calls on Grossmont to cut meetings from twice monthly to once a month, and for the board to reimburse members for ride-share services or taxis to attend evening meetings.
A petition at Change.org has gathered 217 signatures in support of Farjood’s proposal.though many are from outside the district, The petiion argues that moving meetings to 6 p.m. would enhance accessibility and participation, promote transparency, respect the democratic process, and encourage more people to run for the board.
But the four other board members disagree--and cite past experiences as evidence that daytime meetings have actually increased public participation.
Chair Gloria Chadwick says she supports keeping the current dates and times “because we conducted a pilot program to determine if more participation would be generated at an evening hour. The results were that fewer people attended the evening time slot.” She notes that no public comments or suggestions were received during those evening meetings, “not even from the Zoom meeting public, which included the competing candidates for the three board positions.” She adds, ”Since the 9 a.m. time slot, our attendance numbers have increased.” The meeting time change also reflect input from staff, and it aligns with scheduling of senior health programs offered by the library, where the board meets. Chadwick indicated she would only be available Mondays through Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m, except for special or emergency sessions.
Board member Robert Ayres agrees with Chadwick. “After twice revising the current District Board meeting days and time I find that the present schedule is meeting the needs of the District,its staff, the staff of the Hospital, and for Grantee, Scholarships, and Sponsorship awards recognition. The 9 a.m. time is also conductive for presentations made to the District Board for both internal and external presentations.” He notes that Mondays have many holidays that would impact meetings and that Fridays are often not available for people traveling over the weekend. He also voiced concern over nighttime driving safety concerns. He says he supports only Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. meetings.
Board member Virginia Hall, who drives from Santee, concurs that, “When we tried the 6-month pilot program at 5 p.m., we did not have any more public attend compared to our previous 7:30 a.m. time. 9 a.m. is a more reasonable time for all,” she states, adding that it is “safer for all to drive during daylight hours and not during rush hour.” Further, she says 9 a.m. meetings allow for more staff involvement and less overtime. In addition, she says Fridays are when “most public, staff and the hospital staff are tired and Friday traffic is generally worse in the afternoon.” She would support meetings only between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays. While she could also be available Saturdays during those hours, she observes,”GHD and hospital staff are usually not available without a financial impact to the taxpayers and hospital” on weekends.
Board member Randy Lenac, in answer to whether he supports keeping the current board meeting dates and times, responded succinctly, “Yes, it works for all concerned.” He did not list any alternative times he could be available.
The board majority’s sentiment is bipartisan; Chadwick is a Democrat, while Ayres, Hall, and Lenac are Republicans. Farjood, a Democrat, has drummed up support for her cause from Run Women Run, though the group has also endorsed Chadwick over the years.
Farjood is correct that changing meeting times to evenings has been done by some other boards to enable working people to attend; examples include Helix Water District and the La Mesa City Council. But her request does not take into account the ract that the Grossmont Healthcare District Board already tried evening meetings, with the opposite outcome. Morning meetings have also been seen as more convenient for doctors and hospital personnel, a factor that cities and other public boards don't need to to consider. On the other hand, the board has the will of voters to consider, and whether keeping a meeting time convenient for the majority is appropriate if it disenfranchises voters whose representative is unable to participate.
If the board declines Farjood’s request to change the meeting dates and times, her options to continue to serve appear limited. A new state law prohibits elected officials from participating remotely, such as on Zoom, more than five times a year for boards that meet more than once a month (or two meetings a year for those meeting monthly or less frequently). The law, AB 2302 which takes effect January 1, 2025, aims to increase interaction with the public in person.
Per Grossmont District policy, a board member who misses three or more consecutive meetings can be removed, with the vacancy filled either by appointment or special election.
Being forcibly removed could be a blight on a record of a public official aspiring to run in the future for another office. Another option is to resign, which would provide Farjood with the opportunity to save campaign donors’ funds for use in a future campaign for another office, but which could disappoint supporters who backed her campaign for the healthcare district board.
While it’s rare for a newly elected official to step down, it is not unprecedented. Helix Water District trustee-elect Luis Tejeda resigned Dec. 30, 2017 before being sworn in, citing a new job that posed conflicts of interest. County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas resigned effective today despite winning reelection by a landslide, citing safety and security concerns.