Kevin Kiley will host second tele-town hall. Democrats say it’s not enough (SacBee)
From SacBee at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article302854959.html#storylink=cpy
KEVIN KILEY TELE-TOWN HALL REDUX
Congressman Kevin Kiley, R-Roseville, will host another tele-town hall Thursday evening after his previous one drew more than 20,000 constituents — and both criticism and praise. Many Democratic constituents are still pushing Kiley for an in-person town hall, while Kiley’s office maintains that a tele-town hall creates greater access in the enormous 3rd Congressional District, which spans from Plumas and Sierra counties all the way down to Inyo County.
It encompasses several of the state’s national parks and forests, including Death Valley National Park and Tahoe National Forest as well as major Sacramento suburbs such as Rocklin and Roseville.
“This is a slap in the face to constituents,” said Daniel Medina, a Democratic organizer in Placer County and California Democratic Party delegate. “Clearly, Kiley is hoping for a redo, because we all know how his first tele-town hall went.” Medina characterized last week’s town hall as “scripted talking points, half-truths, zero back-and-forth dialogue and lots and lots of constituent questions demanding answers.” “Why is Kiley afraid to have an open and honest conversation with his constituents? That’s all we’re asking for.”
Similarly, Placer County Democratic Party chair Nick Bennett said that because most of the requests for town halls are coming from Placer County, Kiley should honor that. “While tele-town halls are convenient from Representative Kiley’s perspective, given the large number of requests and the fact that a sizable portion of Kiley’s constituents live in South Placer County, holding an in-person town hall that could include a virtual option is still a more appropriate course of action,” Bennett said in a statement to The Bee. “There were a lot of questions at the previous town hall regarding constituents’ concerns about how the Trump administration is upending people’s lives and creating discord throughout the nation. While we hope that Rep. Kiley takes up those voices and addresses these concerns with action, Kiley’s responses were not reassuring. Instead of committing to accountability and oversight of the Trump administration, Kiley often pivoted to his own accomplishments during the Biden administration or criticizing California Democrats.”
The town hall will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evening, and attendees must RSVP via the form Kiley’s office sent out. They will receive an automated phone call just before the starting time to be let in. In a statement to his constituents, Kiley said he takes pride in being “open and accessible.” “I will always remain committed to having one of the most open and accessible congressional offices in the country,” he wrote. “If you have a question to ask, an idea to share, or a concern to convey, I hope you can join us this Thursday.”
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article302854959.html#storylink=cpy