Bonin Pushes Video Chat Systems for Public Input at City Meetings

By City News Service

Councilman Mike Bonin will do a test run tomorrow of an online video conferencing system aimed at allowing Angelenos to give public input remotely during hearings on city issues.

"People shouldn't need to take time off work and fight traffic in order to make their voices heard at City Hall," Bonin said. "Simple video chat technology will allow people to be more engaged in local government, and we are going to take the first step toward improving access at the Transportation Committee meeting on Wednesday."

Bonin will kick off his first meeting as chair of the council's Transportation Committee by patching in members of the public and fellow Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the Information, Technology and General Services Committee.

The technology set to debut tomorrow will allow the public to use video conferencing software such as Skype or Microsoft Lync to give testimony at committee meetings, where the bulk of public input on city issues is taken, Bonin said. He said he will work with the city's information technology staff to refine the process.

The Transportation Committee meeting agenda includes a report on a potential funding shortfall in the Expo Phase 2 Bikeway project, a motion to rescind a policy that allows the city to penalize drivers for parking at inoperable parking meetings, and a status report on the Sepulveda Pass Corridor Improvement project.