Beginning this month, the County of Santa Clara’s webcast and cablecast programs will be expanded.  Residents will be able to watch the Board of Supervisors’ Policy Committees meetings on the County’s website at: www.sccgov.org.  Also, pre-recorded Board of Supervisors meetings will be broadcast on several new local cable channels.

“The expansion of the County’s webcast and cablecast programs will make the Board of Supervisors and Committee meetings even more accessible to the public,” said President Dave Cortese, County of the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors. “For the residents who cannot come to the public meetings personally, they can watch the meetings online or on TV and follow the important issues in our county.”

The County of Santa Clara Board of Supervisors has a total of six Policy Committees, including Legislative Committee; Health and Hospital Committee; Finance and Government Operations Committee; Children, Seniors and Families Committee; Housing, Land Use, Environment & Transportation Committee; and Public Safety and Justice Committee. These Committees meet regularly to discuss important issues in their areas and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.  The County has been broadcasting live and archived Board of Supervisors Meetings online since January 2010. The expansion of the program makes all six Policy Committee meetings also available online.

Since the beginning of this year, pre-recorded Board of Supervisors meetings have been aired on local cable channels, including Channel 17, in the City of Gilroy; Channel 26, in the City of Palo Alto; and Channel 26, in the City of Campbell.

“Transparent decision-making by elected officials is vital to building public trust,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who championed the program. “By expanding our webcast and cablecast programs, our residents can more easily engage in the government process.”

This month, more cable channels will join the list, including Channel 26, in the City of San Jose, Channel 26, in the City of Mountain View Channel 30, and CreaTV. The broadcasting schedule is available online at: www.sccgov.org <http://www.sccgov.org> , under “Hot Items.”