Where Oh Where Have The Little PBID Petitions Gone? Oh Where Oh Where Can They Be?

November 8 was the last time the PBID Formation Committee had a meeting.  At that point I excluded myself from the petition gathering phase, because obviously I cannot ask people to sign a petition I do not support.  I am still on the PBID Formation Committee, but I was told that the committee would cease to exist while the petition gathering phase begins. 

When our meeting ended, those who were participating in the petition gathering stayed after to organize their next meetings. 

They told us they wouldn't use city property to hold the meetings.  They said they weren't subject to the Brown Act.  I don't understand why.  It seems to me that every aspect of the PBID Formation should be public, including the petition gathering, which is the most important part.  Maybe someone can elucidate for me.  Anyway, once the petition gathering phase is completed, our original PBID Formation Committee will start meeting again.

The “newly morphed committee,” fondly referred to as TeamPBID, has begun secret meetings, in undisclosed locations, to discuss how they will distribute the petitions to the property owners.  They have hired a professional PR consultant to train them in the art of gathering petitions. Yet to date, many property owners still don’t know how much they are being assessed, and believe it or not, we have found an occasional owner who still didn’t know that a PBID is being planned.

Which makes me wonder.

Why did TeamPBID attend last week’s City Council meeting, seeking council support of the PBID, when they should be contacting all the property owners and allowing them the opportunity to participate in these public discussions?