By Robert Haugh
People who sued Santa Clara in the CVRA lawsuit and won looks like they’re continuing the fight with the City Council. But this time it’s about Councilman Kevin Park not getting a chance to speak an anti-Asian hate rally. Park did not RSVP for the rally. But he attended and only asked to speak with a few minutes left.
The CVRA group signed a letter to censure Councilwoman Kathy Watanabe as the organizer of the rally and admonish Mayor Lisa Gillmor for asking Park at a Council meeting if he would do anything differently.
Former Councilwoman Patty Mahan and her sister Jeannie Mahan added their names to the signers. The Mahans also assisted them in the CVRA in the lawsuit against the City.
Here’s are other things on the agenda:
- Proclamation of National Public Works Week 2021
- Recognition of Local Students for Community Wellness Initiative “Active Circle”
- Verbal Report from City Manager regarding COVID-19 Pandemic
- Discussion on Consideration of the Sale of the Loyalton Ranch Property (Continued from April 20, 2021)
- Discussion and Consideration to Establish a Boards and Commission Eligibility List Policy
- Council Discussion and Direction on proposed Charter Amendment to enact Council District elections and direction to return to the Council with an Ordinance to Enact the Court-Ordered Six-District Map
- Council Discussion and Direction on the 2021 Redistricting Process Based on 2020 Census Data
- Public Hearing: Final version of the FY21/22 Annual Action Plan for the use of Federal Housing and Urban Development Grant Funds
Additionally, the closed session portion includes:
- Conference with Legal Counsel-Existing Litigation — Omar Gomez v. City of Santa Clara, et al., United States District Court, Northern District of California Case No. 5:19-cv-05266-LHK
- Conference with Legal Counsel-Anticipated Litigation — Consideration of recommendations contained in the TAP International Financial Audit Titled “Contract Close Out Review: Convention and Visitor’s Bureau” (Continued from April 20, 2021)
- Conference with Legal Counsel-Existing Litigation — Lawrence E. Stone, Santa Clara County Assessor, Petitioner v. Santa Clara County Assessment Appeals Board No. 1, Respondent (Forty Niners SC Stadium Company LLC, Real Party in Interest), Santa Clara County Superior Court No. 19CV347946
This circus has gone on long enough…. When are in person council meetings going to resume? Or are in person meetings not convenient for Kevin Park since he has child care issues?
At least have the all the council members in the chamber and have citizens call in and watch on zoom.
Why is Watanbe & kevin Parks should not be a part of this discussion or any. They need to be dismissed as not appropiate for this job ot zny job in city council. They do not have the experience, job qualificatios or the ability, experience to perform the job.
Hey donna, as a transplant who left SC but tunes in to my former “home”, I watched the “let’s punish the bad giys” part of meeting and have to say you are right about Park except I would substitute OMG where do I start?
The list of maladjusted comments are throwing me overboard! It’s like watching a bad rerun of Gilligan’s Island and wondering how the hell did these people end up on the same island?
I hope they find a boat and get rescued soon.
You people are joke. There is no hate in this city. There are many homeless and dirty streets. Crime is rising because policy takes the criminal and after two hours they are back in the community. Stop the propaganda and make SC a decent place to live as used to be many years ago.
Censuring this must be a Joke
Kevin Park should be the one censured for his spousal abuse. Think about it, Kathy Watanabe is married to an Asian, her daughter is half And her relatives are Asians. I say no more how stupid for anyone who supports this motion.
This must be Jed York’s way of getting back for Kathy winning her district. Come on Santa Clara, call in tonight and tell the 49er five this isn’t right. We need to support Kathy and Lisa and send a message that we don’t live in Yorksville.
Ok, regarding “Omar Gomez v. City of Santa Clara, et al.,” (See https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-5_19-cv-05266/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-5_19-cv-05266-0.pdf ), NOW I know why there is a generically named “Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” whose purview seems to be morphing from the original fuzzy-warm survey asking misc Santa Clarans how they “feel” about SCPD to something else that still seems unclear. A better idea would have been to have a serious review of policing practices by policing and experienced diverse community specialists.
P.S. Regarding censure theater – get the theater over and move on to citizen-centric governance. Please.
Agree re censure drama
Residents need ❤️
This is a giant laugh. Which local politicians are more sympathetic to asians? These rallies do nothing to help the actual media induced issue.
Division equals hate…
AAPI and BLM are not “media induced” fantasies. But neither are the problems they seek to address solved by sloganeering or sycophantic posturing. Overcoming hostile, knee-jerk reactions toward others takes deliberate, hard work because it means, at the very least, learning to listen carefully to those deemed of low value to you or to those close to you – whether that devaluation is due to looks (race, clothing, hair, weight, whatever) or affiliation (religion, education, etc.) or wealth (or lack thereof), and so on. None of us may be perfect at this but, for the sake of society, we should all try.
Thank you, Cumulus, whoever you are. Your last line says it all – bless you!