Rep. Kevin Kiley virtual town hall gets thousands of callers, amid pressure from constituents
SACRAMENTO -- Rep. Kevin Kiley held a virtual town hall for his constituents Monday night that was overwhelmed with more than 25,000 constituents, according to his office.
Technical issues kept some from being able to access the call via phone.
The virtual forum comes as voters had been calling for an opportunity to talk with the Republican congressman.
About a hundred people gathered outside Rep. Kiley's Rocklin office earlier in March, signing the guest book and asking for protections for Medicaid and other programs.
The virtual town hall, which was hosted over the phone with a number and pin provided via Rep. Kiley's website, started at 6:30 p.m. and was extended by a half hour, a spokesperson confirmed.
Constituents asked about issues like healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid, education, and government cuts, among other topics.
Kiley represents California's 3rd Congressional District that spans most of the California-Nevada border and includes Plumas, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, Alpine, Mono, and Inyo, and parts of Yuba, El Dorado, and Sacramento counties.
CBS13 heard from constituents who were unable to access the call and expressed frustration that they were not able to listen to the other concerns, questions, and comments about their district.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the congressman's office told CBS13 the issue will be resolved for the next town hall. However, a date for that town hall was not provided.
"Tonight Representative Kiley held a town hall with more than 25,000 constituents participating, answering a wide range of questions and even extending the session an extra half hour. We are working to schedule another as soon as possible so more constituents can provide input and ask questions. Regrettably a small number of people using one method for joining the event were unable to connect because of a technical issue. That issue will be resolved for our next town hall."
-Rep. Kevin Kiley spokesperson
Kiley told callers that he would be hosting another town hall in the future and, at the start of the call, took a poll on if constituents would attend an in-person town hall, or a virtual call.
