County says reporters causing 'traffic jams,' restricts access during meetings [Update]

L.A. County officials have been complaining for years about the ever-decreasing number of reporters who cover them.

The county press room, once bustling with a dozen reporters or more, now looks like a ghost town, home to three reporters on a good day.

Nonetheless, the Board of Supervisors has decided that the few journalists still around are causing problematic "traffic jams" during board meetings, so supervisors have decreed that reporters can no longer interview key personnel in the back rooms and corridors where the officials work during board meetings.

For more than a decade, the areas immediately behind the county supervisors’ meeting room have been available for credentialed reporters to interview department heads and key aides, with very limited exceptions.

But in recent weeks, the supervisors’ executive office asked public safety officers to usher reporters away and issued a memorandum limiting reporters to a room and hallway that are usually empty. 

“As a reminder, members of the media are not permitted in the Department Head areas and all interviews are to be conducted in the press room or the hallway located on the east side of the executive office behind the board room,” wrote Sachi Hamai, the supervisors’ executive officer.

No similar memorandum was issued to target the lobbyists, union representatives and other advocates who sometimes walk the back rooms.

Although Hamai and supervisors’ aides cast the prohibition for reporters as a “reminder” of “prior policy,” she was unable to provide documentation that the policy had been issued before.

Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Mike Antonovich, said the policy was needed to prevent “traffic jams.” David Sommers, spokesman for Supervisor Don Knabe, said the policy was “reasonable.”

Joel Bellman, spokesman for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, said: “I don’t have a problem with it.”

The restrictions come at a time when the county is significantly increasing its own public outreach efforts, in part because they say the news media doesn’t provide enough coverage.

[Updated at 5:01 p.m.: Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has expanded his public affairs staff to include a second press aide and a multimedia specialist.  The supervisor's office said today that Ridley-Thomas sends his own messages on Twitter.]

Yaroslavsky is investing tens of thousands of dollars to expand his website. The overhaul is overseen by an aide with a salary of $130,000 and is helped by two contract writers earning $36,000 each. Also assisting is an outside Web design consultant.

The board is also considering expanding the county's TV operation.

Some board meeting regulars questioned whether the reporters caused traffic jams.

“This prohibition against the reporters really upsets me,” said Geneviève M. Clavreul, a Pasadena resident who sits in the first row during board meetings and has complained about the access lobbyists have to back areas. “We hardly have any reporters left anyway. I wonder what they are afraid the reporters will find out?”

-- Garrett Therolf

Photo: A panel listing newspapers, TV and radio stations where the county press corps are housed inside the Kenneth Hahn County Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2009. Most members of the press corps listed are no longer working out of the offices. Credit: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times.

Comments

[SeanBoy]

That's right, get rid of all the reporters so the politicians can do their dirty deeds out in the open without fear.

[Phil Shuman]

That is the funniest thing i've heard in ages. As one who occasionally utilized the ''back room'' for intvws....I can tell you i've NEVER seen anyone back there.

[Patrick]

What a lame, banal way to limit the powers of the press. Not that the LA Times is good about pressing government officials to account for their actions... DWP pension increase anyone?

[Bob]

but how will the Progress-Bulletin, Herald-Dispatch or the Outlook find out what's going on at the Hahn Hall?

[Kungfuzhun]

I had admired the city's elected officials since they never ran from the media. They're in a big city playing with the big boys and always had an answer for the media, vague or not. Pols can't hide in this city. They know it, so the restriction on reporters in the back is a surprise. By avoiding media using this restriction, elected officials will pay for it one way or another. If the media in this city wants something, they'll find a way to get it.

[rob]

funny how lobbyist and union reps don't seem to be causing a traffic jam

[Zac]

These are public buildings and public offices. How can the government deny access to members of the public who gave up hard earned tax money for these offices and need to know what's happening with their money? These reporters are important to Democracy. This seems heavy handed.

[Terry Francke]

So who are the affected reporters and what do they think?

[Ridiculous]

This is incredibly undemocratic. "Traffic jam" my butt! These egotistical officials love coverage, but only on their terms. Reporters ask tough questions and call elected officials out when they fail to live up to their rhetoric. So this is nothing more than slap in the face to the public. Approval of this "policy" is equivalent to telling the public that they want to curb voters' right to information. Every voter needs to take 2 minutes and call the supervisors and tell them to change the policy back.

Call the Executive Office at: (213) 974-1411.

[suziesbro]

Not to be overly partisan, but I note with amusement (and revulsion) the political proclivities of the two "lifers" who inhabit seats on the Board. Ah, right. It's that darned "mainsteam media!"

[P. Rochester]

A "traffic jam" of three reporters? There is absolutely no way Ms. Hamai can spin this. It only leads to the obvious question of "What are they hiding?" Hmmm, DWP, hundreds of childrens' deaths under the supervision of the county and now the use of taxpayer dollars to improve their own PR? This is a group with entrenched power who evidently never want anyone to rock their boat. LAT: fight this!!