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Residents on Monday will be able to start the New Year by tuning in remotely to watch Orange County leaders debate bike paths, road improvements, bus routes and other local transportation issues from home.
The Orange County Transportation Authority is now video live streaming their board meetings following months of reporting by Voice of OC and a Chapman University student investigation looking into what public agencies allow residents to monitor their deliberations via video.
OCTA’s $1.8 billion dollar debate could only be heard through an audio livestream for the last 16 years.
“Transparency is key to all that we do at OCTA,” said the Transportation Agency’s CEO Darrell Johnson in a news release announcing the change last month.
“We know not everyone has the opportunity to attend our board meetings and with the Board’s decision to add video to the audio that has been available for years, it furthers our commitment to the communities we serve.”
Local advocates have noted that the video livestream will engage more people to participate in them.
“The video livestream is great for transparency and it’s great at getting more people involved,” said David Martinez, Board Member with Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets, who frequently participates in public comment during OCTA board meetings.
“I received comments during the first-ever video streamed meeting where people said they would actually watch these meetings since they are not just audio only,” he said, referring to the board’s December meeting where video was first unveiled.
Toni Nelson, Founder of Capo Cares, echoed a need for transparency.
“It’s vital that all our public agencies seek to be as transparent as possible, particularly in the wake of recent scandals that have eroded public trust,” she said, referring to ongoing FBI corruption investigations in the last years into the county, Anaheim and Irvine.
“Public engagement should be encouraged as a check on government excess and an essential part of effective oversight,” she added. “An uninformed public is a disengaged public. Agencies that operate in the dark perpetuate that disengagement and can foment suspicion.”
Nelson shared that she hopes that OCTA will allow for PowerPoint slides or materials to be used during public comments in the future, similar to other public meetings.
“A video record ensures the public can understand who’s speaking, fully digest information presented in open meetings, and, on occasion, express contrary opinions and hold public officials accountable,” Nelson said.
“Live streaming not only makes meetings available to interested parties who are unable to attend, but the video archive serves as a repository of information that can be easily accessed, cited and linked as important topics are discussed. This is a move in the right direction – toward fully transparent, open government.”
Rejected on two previous occasions in 2011 and 2015, live streaming at the agency was almost shelved again last year amidst debates about relocating their headquarters.
OCTA plans to move to their new headquarters in 2027.
The agency also has several subcommittees that meet before a full board meeting. Those meetings are currently not being put on video.
Monday’s full board meeting can be viewed through the agency’s website.
Erika Taylor is a Voice of OC Tracy Wood Reporting Fellow and photojournalist. You can find her on Instagram @camerakeepsrolling or email at etaylor@voiceofoc.org
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