On March 8, Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez and council members Nancy Pyle, Linda LeZotte and Judy Chirco announced a sunshine ordinance designed to provide greater public access and promote neighborhood participation at city hall. The proposal will go before the council on March 21 during the evening session, which starts at 7 p.m.

Some highlights of the proposal include having all city council agenda items posted online by 5 p.m. the Thursday before the council meeting, posting all public records online and giving two weeks' notice before the council votes on expenditures above $1 million.

The proposal also calls for extending speaking time from two to four minutes for "neighborhood group or community association designees" and those subject to eminent domain.

Pyle said the ordinance will build better relationships between council and neighbors. "I ran for council because I wanted to shake things up a little and help make the city more responsive to our neighborhoods," Pyle said in a press release.

The sunshine ordinance is the second recent proposal aimed at making business at city hall more transparent. Councilman Ken Yeager recently proposed amendments to the lobbyist ordinance, which passed 9-2, making it easier to track fundraising activity.

For more information on city council meetings visit www.sanjoseca.gov/clerk/agenda.asp.