Ought to native governing our bodies take stances on points they cannot cross legal guidelines on? Ask the Morro Bay Metropolis Council.
In current weeks, council members have weighed in on sizzling button state and federal points, main some residents to query the productiveness of doing so.
On Jan. 25, the council handed a decision “affirming the town of Morro Bay’s assist of reproductive freedom.” Then, on Feb. 8, the council handed a decision of assist for AB 1400, the California invoice protecting well being look after all. That laws died within the appropriations committee in the beginning of the month, Metropolis Supervisor Scott Collins mentioned on the Feb. 8 assembly.
Councilmember Daybreak Addis, who requested that the reproductive rights decision be introduced earlier than the council, advised New Occasions she believes it is essential that council members make their voices heard on these points.
“Within the biggest state within the nation, there isn’t a motive for tens of millions of individuals to go with out sufficient entry to well being care or to reproductive care,” she wrote in an emailed assertion. “We all know that when any group member goes with out, it hurts all of us. It is incumbent upon every of us to do what we are able to to assist one another.”
Throughout the Feb. 8 assembly, Councilmember Jeff Heller questioned the place the decision on well being look after all got here from.
“I used to be stunned to see it,” he mentioned.
Collins replied that the 4 different council members—Addis, Jennifer Ford, Laurel Barton, and Mayor John Headding—supported bringing the well being care decision ahead on the earlier council assembly.
“One might argue that … there is a connection between this merchandise and the Metropolis Council aim of group well being,” Collins mentioned.
Heller was the only dissenting vote for the reproductive rights decision, calling it an inappropriate challenge for the council to opine on. He additionally voted no on the well being care decision.
“We appear to have morphed into bringing issues ahead that we do not actually have jurisdiction over,” Heller mentioned on Feb. 8.
Some group members agreed that the council was overstepping its bounds. Throughout public touch upon Feb. 8, Morro Bay resident Carolyn Brinkman mentioned that whereas she personally helps reproductive rights and common well being care, she does not assist the council passing resolutions about these points.
“I understand that the decision earlier than you states that the council helps well being look after all Californians, however as elected officers, you in essence communicate for all of us,” Brinkman wrote. “Each resolutions do not respect the truth that they assist a place on complicated points about which individuals in Morro Bay might passionately and even painfully disagree.”
Others questioned the council’s motives.
“The Metropolis Council ought to by no means approve this kind of decision supporting a statewide, very political challenge simply to assist a member, Daybreak Addis, in her marketing campaign for state Meeting,” Lorie Noble of Morro Bay wrote in.
But, different group members felt otherwise.
“As school college students, my husband and I had a really sick baby and no medical insurance” wrote Morro Bay resident Lynda Merrill in a public remark. “All of us suffered. We’d like a well being look after all for the individuals of California for thus many causes.”
Addis stood by the council’s actions.
“I will at all times struggle for the precise to reproductive care and top quality well being care,” she advised New Occasions. Δ
