Just 100 days into her tenure, Compton’s newly elected City Clerk, Satra Zurita, made a bold move towards transparency by inviting the public for an unprecedented behind-the-scenes tour of the City Clerk’s Office. In a departure from past practices, where only close allies of previous clerks had ventured beyond the public counter, Ms. Zurita personally greeted attendees, unlocking the swing door that typically separates the lobby from the office’s inner workings.
With all office doors open, Ms. Zurita began the tour in a file room dominated by towering wooden bookshelves, crammed floor-to-ceiling with paper-filled folders. Highlighting her commitment to modernization, Ms. Zurita announced her “Backfile Conversion Project,” a significant initiative to transform all council minutes, ordinances, resolutions, and historical archives into a secure and easily searchable digital system.
Adding a touch of the past, Ms. Zurita pointed to a vintage typewriter, remarking, “This is still used today to type resolutions for the weekly City Council Agenda. However, this is a thing of the past and will be retired next week as we transition to producing resolutions using computers moving forward.”
As guests continued through the office, they were led into the vault, a room that felt like stepping back in time. Behind a large, heavy bank safe door, the air smelled of an old classroom, complete with the fain aroma of stale chalk lingering from a chalkboard.
The vault housed a collection of the city’s history, including stacks of framed photographs from past city events, boxes containing signatures from past elections and recalls, huge binders filled with past city ordinances, city seal engraving tools dating back to the late 1900s, and remarkably, huge, dusty binders chronicling the city’s earliest years following its incorporation in 1888.
The remainder of the workspace included the City Clerk’s personal office, the office of the Chief Deputy Clerk, and the front office staff area. Looking towards the future, Ms. Zurita noted, “We are just beginning with a fresh coat of paint on the walls and have plans to replace the countertops and lobby flooring.”
Emphasizing the benefits of her initiatives, Ms. Zurita stated, “Faster access to documents, greater transparency, preserving our past while powering our future!. We are building a more efficient, transparent, and responsive city government while diligently preserving Compton’s rich legacy for future generations.”
This groundbreaking tour offered a unique glimpse into the vital work of the City Clerk’s Office and signaled a new era of openness under Ms. Zurita’s leadership.
