With nearly a third of the 450 or so seats on the boards and commissions that help San Diego run either vacant or expired, city officials took the unusual step earlier this month of issuing a public call to get involved at city hall and join one. It was a nod to the notion that public service is an important part of democracy, and that the city’s future relies in large part on the army of volunteers who step up to help shape San Diego’s future. “Serving on a board or commission is a meaningful way to give back to the community and make your voice heard,” Chida Warren-Darby, who directs the San Diego Office of Boards and Commissions, said in the announcement. “We encourage anyone interested in volunteering to explore the various boards and commissions and find the one that aligns with their passions and expertise,” she said. And this week, San Diego County officials issued a news release urging people to apply for an open seat on the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Board, the volunteer panel that oversees the Sheriff’s Office and Probation Department. Both the city and county have in recent years begun promoting civic engagement on social media, on their websites and on their respective TV channels. The public-relations pushes come half a year after The San Diego Union-Tribune reported widespread vacancies on many city and county boards — hundreds of empty seats and unfilled positions that in some cases were preventing the panels from conducting the people’s business. The city of San Diego has reduced the number of vacancies on its 44 boards and commissions by a quarter, from nearly 200 last summer to under 150 as of Jan. 8, according to data on the city’s OnBoard website. But many of the volunteer panels that advise the mayor and City Council continue to lack a full quorum, limiting the number of meetings and policy debates they can convene and the number of recommendations they can issue to elected officials. Some of the boards are unable even to gather; others have enough appointees to meet legally but have had to delay meetings because too few people are available to participate. Several have not met in a year or longer. Experts say the city’s inability to fully staff its volunteer panels is one symptom of larger problems in self-governance. “This is all part and parcel to the crisis in American participatory democracy,” said Carl Luna, the longtime political science professor and director of the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego. “People just don’t want to participate as much as they used to, at least where such participation takes significant time and energy,” he said. That lack of engagement is not limited to local government, Luna said. Volunteerism also has dipped in the nonprofit sector, and the agencies and organizations that rely on volunteers must make sure that those who donate their time know their work is needed and valued, he said. “People are increasingly isolated in their digital silos and failing to make community connections in real life,” Luna said. “But the other factor is that people increasingly want to see relevance and at least the possibility for real outcomes from their engagement.” Finding qualified volunteers to serve on public boards can be difficult. Many people with the skills required to serve on the various boards either have business interests that preclude them from volunteering or are unable to afford the time and expense a political appointment entails. San Diego County has more than 1,300 seats on more than 150 boards, committees and commissions. Nearly a quarter of those are currently either vacant or occupied by people whose terms have expired — up sharply from under 11% last June. As of Thursday, at least 203 seats were unfilled, and 102 others were filled by people in lapsed terms, according to county officials. County officials attribute the jump in vacancies over the last six months to the election, which they say caused a delay in a substantial number of appointments. Nora Vargas’ recent departure from the county Board of Supervisors also contributed; there are a number of appointees whose terms are concurrent with the appointing supervisor, county officials said. But the people she appointed will continue to serve until they are reappointed or replaced. The rules and requirements mean that many boards do not always meet their mandate. Last year, the county Civilian Oversight Board had to delay and cancel several meetings due to the lack of a quorum. The county Human Relations Commission also had to call off meetings last year amid internal squabbling until key membership changes could be made. That commission hit further delays as the county struggles to hire a consultant to conduct an outside assessment. County staff revised its proposal request and just last Monday issued a new request, with proposals now due next month. In the city of San Diego, only four of the 10 seats on the Board of Building Appeals and Advisors are now filled — and all four appointees are serving terms that are expired. The body was established to advise the mayor and council on reducing fire threats in construction projects. But positions are hard to fill because members are usually architects or engineers with busy professional lives, Warren-Darby explained. Six of the 11 seats on the city’s Independent Rates Oversight Committee, which is charged with monitoring water rates and spending, are filled by members whose terms have expired. Although the city received a dozen applications, half of the applicants qualified for just two of the seats, Warren-Darby said. The San Diego Police Department’s oversight body, the Commission on Police Practices, is also facing a number of vacancies from the top down. Paul Parker, the commission’s executive director, submitted his resignation late last year after a six-month tenure. Gloria Tran, chair of the commission, also resigned. The commission’s lawyer also resigned late last year. The 25-person commission currently has eight vacancies to fill. The city’s Citizens Equal Opportunity Commission is supposed to advise the mayor and council on city hiring and contracting practices. Seven of 11 seats are expired, and three others are vacant — but volunteer Cinnamon Clark hopes the board can rebound if city and state officials make it easier and more convenient to serve. “My commitment is due to my hope that it will be reinvigorated, and the local and state government will remove the barriers for people to participate,” she said. “There are a lot of people who can’t afford to volunteer, even though those are the same people who are impacted by the work a board like this does.” Clark, who was recruited to the equal-opportunity board by Councilmember Vivian Moreno, said it’s also important to her to set an example for her 11-year-old son. “Every conversation I have, every input, I am really investing in his future, his physical safety, his psychological safety — all of those things,” Clark said. “It’s also important for him to see that civic engagement, so he can be part of the solution and not just sitting back complaining.” Warren-Darby is aware of the challenges and working to keep positions filled in spite of them. Last year, the city appointed or reappointed a total of 164 people to various volunteer board seats, she said — up 76% over 2023, when the city completed 93 separate appointments. “The interest is there,” she said. “I get a lot of young people that want to apply and serve.” But state laws requiring local boards to convene in person — rather than remotely — keeps many potential volunteers from serving, Warren-Darby said. Twice in recent years, legislation to let local committees convene online has failed to pass the statehouse. “For me, the bigger question is: Why aren’t the legislators acknowledging that this (state law) is a damper on civic engagement and participation?” Warren-Darby said. Luna, the political scientist, said there is more to the run of vacancies and expired seats than rules requiring meetings be held in person. Local officials too often dismiss the findings and recommendations put forward by volunteers, he said. “Part of the failure to get more needed volunteers for city boards and commissions is tied to the failure of the city government to show how such volunteerism can and does really transform our communities,” Luna said. “If you want people to give their time, you need to show them the value in terms of real differences that can be made.” Staff writer Christian Martinez contributed to this report.