EDITORIAL
'Sunshine' training a good idea for all

It's tough enough, sometimes, to get people to volunteer for public service on boards and commissions.

One thing that adds to the difficulty is that few board or commission members get much applause for their hard work. If they come to public attention, it is usually because the board has made a controversial decision or has done something wrong, even if inadvertently.

That's where the latest proposal from Honolulu Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz comes in. He has proposed, sensibly, that all members of city boards and commissions get training on the state "sunshine" law.

This is the law that mandates open meetings and public access to information.

It is a good law, but one equally easy to run afoul of. Innocent activities, such as kicking ideas around via e-mail, might be illegal under the law.

So what Dela Cruz proposes is mandatory training on the ins and outs of the sunshine law for all board and commission members, both those now serving as well as new appointees.

Dela Cruz has introduced a bill that would make such training mandatory. That is fine as far as it goes, but there really is no need for a law.

It should be a matter of policy that each new city — and state, for that matter — appointee be given thorough training in our open-meetings law before they sit down to work.