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                                                                                M E M O

DATE:     December 10, 2003

TO:          Shayla/Woody/Mike

FROM:    Eileen Spencer

SUBJECT:       Freedom of Speech/ Journalism 101

1.   The video shows Evelene Twitchell being asked by Wayne Langston to call the Susanville Police, not Keri Richards.

2.   The public has the right to notify the legislative body immediately if a Brown Act violation is being committed. Helene Williams was gaveled and ignored when she notified Wayne Langston he was violating the Brown Act by his recommendations on Public Comment. Helene Williams was told this will be her only warning….(?)

Any action or recommended action must be agendized.

3.The public has a right to question the legislative body             if the rules are going to be altered. Wayne Langston’s rules change from meeting to meeting.  The warnings go from three gavels to one gavel to no gavels.

The Brown Act states that a legislative body must make reasonable rules. I asked if the rules have changed and was gaveled and threatened.

4.   During action item 5B, Wayne Langston recognized Helene Williams. Helene Williams discussed Board Packets. This conversation went on for 2:58 minutes.  This was not an agenda item and Helene Williams intentionally wanted to see whom the rules actually applied to.

5.   I was recognized next and I am allowed (according to the “rules of the day” to comment for a maximum of five minutes.  Helene Williams interrupts and is not gaveled. After two minutes and 10 seconds of speaking, Wayne Langston interrupts and says “I don’t want to hear your comments anymore”

6.   Wayne Langston then interrupts me and asks me to leave the meeting. 

The story was slanted to be about the public disrupting the LMUD meeting.  The story, Shayla, was about violations of the Brown Act and the right of every citizen to address and criticize their government.  Fundamental rights actually. These rights are fought for by every, well almost every legitimate newspaper in this country, every single day of the week.

It has never been the intention of KWH members , as evidenced by the meeting videos, to interrupt or disrupt the LMUD meeting or any other meeting. It is our intent to question and criticize the very questionable activities of government entities in this county. That will not change.  *This paper has always advocated this in the past.

KWH finds it fascinating that as a “news” paper , you prefer to question and/or attack the messenger rather than the problem. 

*This is all about censoring KWH and making KWH look as bad as you can. You can use the newspaper to do that, and you do exactly that.

But Bill Noonberg is still responsible for his actions no matter what you write about KWH or me. The facts are on KWH’s side.