L A Wood,  Berkeley Voice, February 2, 1995
Public Comment in Berkeley

Most of us can remember our first time. Mine came on a cool March Tuesday evening several years ago. I remember mounting my bike and riding uptown. Upon arriving, I coasted to a stop, locked my bike and headed up the front stairs. Moving quickly through the lobby and to the second floor, I entered through the open chamber door. I had waited all day in anticipation of this moment. Only three minutes; what would I say?

The first time the public was invited to Berkeley's City Council's regular meetings was Dec. 5, 1939. Mayor Gaines sent invitations to 10 registered Berkeley voters to attend the proceedings. Back then, council meetings were held at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays. That morning council gathered in the same room that is in use today. The dozen or more city representatives sat in a group of tables behind a stretched rope barrier, separating them from the public participants.

The mayor opened the meeting and introduced the nine citizens who had accepted the city's special invitation. Gaines stated that he hoped the meeting would afford those of the public an opportunity to see how the procedure of the city council operates. He pointed out a bulletin board with a listing of city projects and offered them for public inspection. Each resident was given a copy of the City Charter. The mayor also welcomed the eighth grade of Burbank Junior High School.

It was not until three weeks later on Jan. 2, 1940, that the city council's regular meeting was forever changed. Shortly after his welcoming remarks, Mayor Gaines offered an opportunity for public comment to those with a special invitation to the meeting. He stated that those invited should feel free to make suggestions during the progress of the meeting.

At the end, two members of the public expressed appreciation for the opportunity to participate. One of them, Mr. McClellan, stated that attending a city council meeting was not something an average citizen would do, unless urged to do so.