Advocate 

How to Make a Public Comment

Prepare

Public comments are typically allowed to be 1-3 minutes long. Be sure to practice your comment and time yourself. Have a friend proof-read your comment. Be prepared to shorten your comment last minute if needed. If you go over the time limit, you may be cut off.

Register early

At meetings, they almost always use a “first come, first serve” policy for comment sessions. The sooner you fill out your comment request, the sooner you’ll be called during the public comment session.

Some meeting require registration in advance for virtual and/or in-person comments. Be sure to look at your meeting’s agenda to find out the requirements and register. If you attend in person, you may need to ask for a comment request card.

Write your comment

  1. Introduction

    1. Hello, My name is (__________) and I live in (____________). I am commenting on the issue of (______________).

      It helps if you live in the district of the elected official/board member you’re addressing. State what issue you are commenting on and the Agenda number if applicable.

  2. What action do you want?

    1. I am asking the board to (_________________________).

      PASSFL can help provide suggested actions that will support the full cleanup.

  3. Keep it personal

    1. This matters to me because (____________________________).

      Elected Officials and Board Members often know the facts, but it’s easy for them to forget that REAL people are involved. YOUR story is powerful.

  4. Include Facts

    1. I know that (_______________________).

      PASSFL can help with comment suggestions that you can use for facts for your comment.

  5. State your action again

    1. Thank you, and please (_____________________________).

      Remind them one last time of your request.

Sample Comment (2 minutes)

Hello, my name is Melissa Bumstead. I live in West Hills, California. I am commenting today on Agenda Number 123, regarding the toxic waste at the Santa Susana Field Lab. I am asking the board to vote NO on the Motion 123.

My daughter is a two-time cancer survivor, and she’s one of the lucky children who survived treatment. We’ve buried two of her close friends who died from cancer, who also lived within miles of the Santa Susana Field Lab. According to an article by Rueters News, over 80 children in our community have had cancer. I strongly believe that the contamination at the SSFL has caused my daughter’s cancer. A federally-funded study by Dr. Hal Morgenstern, that found a 60% higher cancer incidence rate for residents living within 2 miles of the site, compared to residents 5 miles away, supports my concerns that the site is harming people in my community. Until the site is completely cleaned up, children will continue to get diagnosed with preventable cancers and diseases.

As a parent this terrifies me, to think that we live near one of the most toxic sites in California and yet the site remains contaminated today. The Department of Toxic Substances Control isn’t enforcing the complete cleanup. The new Programmatic Environmental Impact Report will let Boeing leave 90% of the their toxic chemicals to remain onsite, and NASA and the Department of Energy to leave 65% of their toxic and radioactive acreage contaminated. This will allow our children to be at daily risk of exposure to the site’s toxic contamination.

Because the lives and health of our children matters, I am asking the board to vote NO on Motion 123. Thank you.