THROUGH MY EYES -- Ron Davis

I’ve been seething for the past couple of years over much of the

government programming on HBTV-3, our cable TV channel, which the city of

Huntington Beach refers to as their government information channel.

When the Russians provided government programming, we called it

propaganda. When our city government does it, they call it “public

information.” I suspect that when the Russians did it, they too called it

“public information.”

I have no way of taking a survey, except by soliciting your e-mail

responses, but I’d enjoy knowing whether any of you actually watch any of

our city generated shows. And if so, which ones, and what do you think of

them?

If you don’t watch HBTV-3, let me know that, too, as well as why.

What our city doesn’t like to announce is that, according to City Hall

spokesman Rich Barnard, it spends almost $600,000 annually -- our tax

dollars -- to “inform” us through HBTV-3 about what a wonderful job

everyone’s doing down at City Hall and how rosy things are.

I concede that a small part of the programming is truly informational.

But for the most part, I find most of the programming, such as “Your

City, Your Issues,” “Inside City Hall,” and “The Mayor’s Report,” to be

little more than political commercials and government propaganda served

to us at taxpayer expense.

Accuse me of sour grapes or bias if you want, since I ran for city

attorney against Gail Hutton. But allow me to illustrate my point with

the “Your City, Your Issues” show hosted by Hutton.

This program is like countless other programs, hosted by an elected

political figure and designed to deliver their particular one-sided,

non-adversarial political agenda, with the aid of a friendly “guest” or

two.

In the instant case, Hutton hosts the show and her guest is -- tah dah --

one of the deputies in her office, Jennifer McGrath. Talk about riveting

programming.

The program focuses on the Herculean efforts by our city attorney to

protect the community from sexually oriented businesses, such as the nude

juice bar coming to a theater near you at Beach and Talbert.

During the course of her program, as I do during other like government

programs, I found myself humming “Home on the Range,” and singing the

phrase, “where seldom is heard, a discouraging word ... “

Part of the program was devoted to the host and guest selling us on all

of the wonderful things the city attorney’s office did by bringing in the

administrative citation process.

Gosh, I wonder why they neglected to mention the presumption of guilt

which applies at the hearing, and the extra cost to the city to take the

matter to court. Are those not our issues?

As I indicated, Hutton’s show is hardly unique.

While this is clearly our city, if this, or any other issue being

discussed under the guise of “Your City, Your Issues,” is truly our

issue, why is it that the contrary position is never represented in the

programming?

The fact is, HBTV-3 presents only our government’s agenda, not a

meaningful discussion of issues. The show should be called, “Your City,

My Propaganda.”

What is alarming and disconcerting is that the city provides absolutely

no programming that simultaneously exposes both sides of an important

issue.

I suspect that there are more than just of few of us who would like to

see a knock-down, no-holds-barred program on the pros and cons of

building on the Bolsa Chica mesa, Wal-Mart, Huntington Center, eminent

domain, Bluff Top Park, police and fire salaries, and even council

districts.

It is time for our City Council to get off their collective butts and

provide for programming on HBTV-3 that is neither government-controlled

nor government-directed.

I am not advocating an increase in HBTV-3’s budget but the elimination of

just a few propaganda shows to make room for some programming that

reminds us we live in a democracy, where freedom of speech is paramount.

Just one final note. My wife sings these lyrics to “Home on the Range”

while I play along with my tuba:

“Oh give us a show, where the people can go, and not hear propaganda each

day.

“Where sometimes is heard, a critical word, but that’s called, the

American way.”

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He can

be reached by e-mail at [email protected].