Visible lack of unity

The fractured and fractious e-bike discussion by the board included, by unofficial count, at least five references to respect, or the lack of it, as supervisors bickered, interrupted one another and, essentially, fumbled their way to no decision.

This is not an isolated episode as egos seem to be colliding between people who only recently have been forced to work together, and are having trouble finding a comfort zone.

There are so many cross-currents here that it is a challenge to catalogue them all.

The contentiousness probably is generational, as new leadership is emerging. It certainly is the result of strong-willed people who are expecting a level of deference, or who are not willing to “wait their turn.” And, unquestionably, it involves politics and ambition.

At last week’s board meeting, Supervisor David Canepa pulled some minor housekeeping measure off the consent agenda, apparently so he could score some political points by publicly grilling Jim Irizarry, the assistant assessor-clerk-recorder-elections chief. Both of them are running for the ACRE job. Canepa seized the opportunity to raise questions about how the Assessor’s Office is being managed.

This prompted supervisors Jackie Speier, Noelia Corzo and Lisa Gauthier to assert that Canepa’s cross-examination of Irizarry made them “uncomfortable.”

Canepa, who clashed with Corzo numerous times last year over interruptions during board discussions, complained, “Shutting me down is totally unprofessional. I’ve never done that to you. … This was disrespectful.” He also noted that Corzo and Speier have endorsed Irizarry, as has Mueller.

This leads us to this week’s meeting and the proposed ordinance co-authored by Speier and Mueller. Speier had prepared an extraordinary presentation on e-bikes and e-motos, largely designed to refute any arguments from bike advocates, who customarily oppose any laws governing bicycle-related vehicles and who would prefer the focus be on bad automobile drivers.

Oddly, Speier’s rebuttal presentation came before anyone from the bike community said anything at the meeting. She was interrupted by Corzo, who, as board president, chairs the meeting. She then let Canepa start asking critical questions about the proposals, culminating in him saying he would oppose the ordinance as “too premature.” This from a guy who has proposed resolutions banning menthol cigarettes, looking at your cellphone while in a crosswalk and urging Congress to ban killer robots.

The subsequent to-and-fro is too serpentine to recount in detail, but it did not get any better, with more complaints about people being interrupted, cut off and, well, you know.

Near the end of rather meandering remarks by Corzo, she turned to Speier and said, “Please be respectful. I’m getting frustrated with the constant eye-rolls, honestly. I am.”

The board governs only the county; its governmental authority extends solely to those areas not under the aegis of a city. But it funds or runs most of the essential local, state and federal social programs.

The board is the most prominent local political position. In the past, when the board has spoken with a unified voice, it has set the tone for policies at cities throughout the county. The county led the response to the pandemic, for example, and has taken leadership roles in everything from crime to child care to homelessness.

This kind of stuff, and the lack of unity it demonstrates, is frustrating county staff and does no one any good, except, I suppose, people like me, always on the hunt for column fodder.

NOTE TYPE NOTES: Speaking of Irizarry, the most interesting thing about his campaign so far is his website. Go to electjimirizarry.com, and you get this: “Private Site.” … And here’s a little tidbit about the good doctor, Victor Aenlle, one-time honcho in the Sheriff’s Office and advisor to then-Sheriff Christina Corpus: He still is on the Board of Directors of the Sheriff’s Activity League, which runs programs for county youth. I am told the SAL bylaws do not include a provision for removing a board member. I also am told the board is dominated by Aenlle/Corpus allies. Calls to the SAL executive director have gone unanswered. The website’s News page shows no entries since last September; Corpus is in three of the four photos on the page.