Who wins when citizens quit playing?

Lately, only a handful of hardcore land-use enthusiasts (or paid attorneys and consultants) attend Monterey County General Plan meetings. Less than 10 people attended the Aug. 16 Planning Commission hearing to give public comment about the growth document. Even fewer showed up at the previous meeting.

It’s enough to make politicos long for the olden days of the General Plan update process, back to the early ‘00s, when hundreds of people would flock to meetings and wait hours to give input. This was back before the new county building had been finished, back when the Supervisors’ Chambers was in the county courthouse and meeting attendees sat in uncomfortable wooden chairs.

Sometimes, so many would show up at the meetings that county staff would set up overflow rooms, where even more people could listen to the proceedings and then speak during the public comment period.

But then, this was also back before the Board of Supervisors threw five years of public input—and the Planning Commission’s approved growth document—in the trash.

Does this mean that democracy is dead in Monterey County?

“People don’t trust their government and don’t think it matters,” says Commissioner Martha Diehl. “I think it’s probably related to the perception—which I share—which is that the Planning Commission’s decision isn’t particularly meaningful.

“People who are tired anyway have made the tactical decision to have discussions at another level.”

In other words, people don’t want to waste their time with the Planning Commission. They’ll take their gripes straight to the Board of Supervisors.

The plan won’t come before the supervisors until October. It’s anyone’s guess whether more people will show up at the supervisors’ hearings on the growth document. And conventional wisdom says that one side or the other will likely sue, so the courts will probably make the final decision about Monterey County’s future.