"What if they held a public hearing but nobody came? Better yet, what if they held a public hearing but didn’t bother to tell the public about it?

That’s nearly what happened this week when the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control scheduled a three-day hearing in Solvang that was supposed to begin Tuesday and end today, but was postponed until next October.

With the decision made about the change in schedule at least two weeks ago — and perhaps more than three weeks ago — the ABC informed the principals involved in the hearing but told no one else.

What kind of public policy allows a government agency to skip the formality of informing the public when changes are made in a hearing schedule?

A really bad policy, to be sure."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Public policy is anti-public (The Lompoc Record 5/24)

Also Today:
Hearing on tribe’s liquor license postponed 5 months (The Solvang Valley news 5/24)

Related Stories:
Hearing for liquor license at Chumash Tribe's casino is delayed (5/22)