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Okay.

Please put 30 seconds on the clock and start our video stream.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Councillor Member Kaplan.

Councillor Member Vellan's Weila.

Councillor Member Maipol. Councillor Member Getta.

Would you please lead us in the landing knowledgement in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous people and tribal lands.

To the original people of this land, the Nisanan people, the Maidu, the Valiant planes, the mewak, and the Putman-Winton people,

and the people of the Wilton Rancheria.

Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

We acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walked beside us today on these ancestral lands.

By choosing to gather together today in the act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation of Sacramento's Indigenous people's history, contributions, and lives.

Please face the flag, salute, pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Well, a very good afternoon to everyone, to my colleagues, members of the City staff.

Most importantly, the members of the public that are here in chambers, those that are coming to chambers and those who are watching this, either on television or online.

We know that we have a major discussion item here regarding the ceasefire question, but before that, we do have some other business.

So I understand we're not going to make the special presentation this evening.

So we move then right to, and I should announce that item 19 relating to weed and rubbish abatement.

This is what the City does.

It's a lot of different things here, but that will be continued to the 26th of March.

And so that leaves us with commencing with the consent calendar.

Are there any items that members would like to either hear separately, vote on separately, or discuss?

I see Councilmember Valenzuela.

Yes, I have comments on item 3.

All right. Thank you. Anybody else?

All right. Do we have public testimony, Madam Clerk, on the consent calendar?

Do I have no speakers for the consent calendar?

Okay.

It's been moved and seconded.

Councilmember Valenzuela on item 3.

Thank you. Briefly just because we were interrupted before I could give direction last time.

I want to ask the City Manager to please come back to us with a contract solicitation that will cover the design of a program for the,

I just didn't put in my notes because I was copying this over the install program, the direct install program that the community proposed after the Transportation Commission report.

So a contract just for designing the program, but not for staff to implement and what that cost estimate would be rather than the 1.4 million in the staff report.

So it's tactical, but it has a purpose.

Right. So to be clear, you want us to come back with an estimate of what it would cost to prepare to implement what is being proposed.

So to design the program, but not to actually do the builds.

So basically to set forth the standards without actually staff, staff's budget included the assumption that they were going to be installing the builds.

And so I'd like to know what it would cost to design the program, but not to actually build that.

Would you like us to do a solicitation to figure that out because we can have an estimate of what it would be.

I think an estimate would be helpful to start.

Okay.

Thank you. And then my second direction was just that, you know, regarding the annual report process.

You know, I noted at last Tuesday's meeting that three different PMPE committee members actually pull those annual reports from consent for discussion items, which I know throws our agenda planning off route.

And so I was hoping Madam Clerk, when we update our policy and procedures, that it might be clear that if a member from PMPE requests that an item come forward as a discussion item, that that request be honored so that the public and the committees involved could obviously know what was expected of them when they come to council for their annual reports.

And that was it for item three.

I just have one quick question on that. So when it comes out of PMPE, the direction if it's to have it heard on the discussion item, that's how you would.

Yes, yes. If a committee member requests an annual report via discussion item rather than consent, that that request be honored.

Is it a committee member or a vote of the-

The committee member, yeah.

Okay.

Otherwise, we pull it from consent during the meetings and I feel like that throws the whole process into term.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you very much.

We do have a motion and a second on the consent calendar. All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

I abstain? The consent calendar passes.

We now move to the discussion item.

Yes.

Mr. Mayor, before we go there, may I have a motion to continue that weed abatement, people are hearing to March 26th.

Thank you.

So I have the motion by Council Member Kaplan, a second by Jennings.

And that is to continue the item to March 26th.

Okay. To March 26th. All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed, abstain? That item is continued.

All right. Is that- are we ready to move now to the ceasefire discussion item?

Okay. I'm going to turn the gavel over temporarily to the esteemed vice mayor, getting maple and I'm going to make the presentation from now to the-

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Do you want to step up with me?

Please. Jay, would you step up here with me, please?

Quick- quick question, Mayor Clerk, because I know generally our standard is when we- we start an item in regards to public comment.

And I believe we still have individuals outside.

Yes.

So I want to- I want to make it clear that if people are here to speak on it, that everybody gets a chance.

So-

Absolutely.

If at the point we can find out when nobody is waiting in line, then we know no longer to accept, you know, speaker slips, but I don't want anybody to get cut off because they're still waiting in line.

Yes, absolutely.

So the plan is for any-

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can you speak-

Madam Vice Mayor, I would be-

I'd go step farther.

I know it's a long night, but I'd be willing to wait.

I'd be waiting-

I'd be willing to wait until everybody gets in here.

I'd be willing to wait until everybody gets in here.

Good job, Mayor.

Good job, Mayor.

That's the Mayor of the Sacramento.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor of the Sacramento.

Thank you, Mayor of the Sacramento.

Thank you, Mayor of the Sacramento.

Thank you.

So smart.

Hi, hi, Sam.

Hi, hi.

Okay.

So at this time, I will move an item up-

taking council comments, questions or ideas at this time.

Do I have any members who want to speak on council comments, questions, ideas, event happenings, council member Kaplan?

This Saturday, we're having a tree planting at North and Atomas Regional Park, but it is also rolling into a community health fair.

So if you've got time, come on out to the North and Atomas Regional Park this Saturday to one plant trees and to participate in a health fair that we are going to have out there.

Excellent. Thank you.

Any other members?

Council member Gerr.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

This is to the city manager and our park staff.

The park's master plan is coming up for review.

It's been my understanding is that the timing of the release of the park master plan will be also at the same time as the Yipsey Commission or Parks Commission.

We'll be reviewing it, which unfortunately doesn't give the commission enough time for them to comment and provide advice and recommendation to the council before we receive it.

And so I'd like the city manager to consider looking at the appropriate timing of the real of when we hear the park's master plan so that the commission has enough time to review and comment and provide recommendations to the council as an advisory body.

Whether we delay our review of it or and provide more time for input.

So that's a recommendation for the city manager.

I'm not sure if you have comments on the park's master plan release time.

I will check with staff, but if you're asking if we could hold off a week or two coming to the council, that shouldn't be an issue.

I want to make sure I check it with our staff to make sure there's not a time sensitive issue there.

And if not, that's not a problem.

No, thank you. And the sequencing that I hope we have is that when it's released, the commission has an ample time to review and receive comment, give advice and then we come out.

And do want to thank the recent outreach efforts that the city is done to get information out to the public about the parks master plan.

Thank you, Mr. City manager.

All right. Councilmember Tallah Montes.

So we asked the community for their input.

You know, we're currently facing a budget deficit and there is a community survey out there for you to fill out to sign up and to really make sure that your voices are heard.

Also in the audience, we have the golden girls sponsor.

And they recently came back from Columbia, South America where they were award winning.

They're going to be hosting a fundraiser at the North Atomus Community Center in a quality facility.

And I want to thank you for the opportunity to sponsor this event.

So if you want to support our youth, please make sure to stop by on March 21 from 6 to 7 30 PM.

All right. Councilmember Jennings.

Thank you very much.

I want the Sacramento community to know about a tradition that's been going on in Sacramento for many years.

And it's going to take place on Saturday, March 23rd from 10 to 4 PM.

And it's going to take place at the Sam and Bonnie Paneal Community Center in District 8.

And I know Councilmember Wang would be making this announcement if I were not here.

But in her absence, I just want to let you know to get ready for the 35th annual Sweet Potato Festival.

Now, if you make a great sweet potato, I know you're getting ready to clap for that because you make a great sweet potato, you can still get into the contest because we're going to have a great time out there judging who makes the best sweet potato pie.

So the MCs for the event will be Sacramento Zone, Karen Massey, Terry Freeman-Mora, and Lee Perkins from 97.5 KDE.

We're going to have wonderful performances out there by Pastor Robinson and the Gospel motivators, Tina B and the Sacramento Soulline dancers, the Black Forest Children's Music Director, Jerry Turner will be there, Miss Black Sacramento with the scholarship passion just to name a few.

But what you're really going to get when you come out is the greatest sweet potato that you've ever tasted in your life.

And I will be one of the judges. So if you don't think the sweet potato is the best that you've ever tasted, you can blame me because I didn't cook it.

But I was the one who judged it. But it's going to be a great time.

So again, Saturday to 23rd from 10 to 4. Come on out for the Sacramento 35th annual Sweet Potato Festival.

Thank you, Councilmember Jennings. This sounds really exciting. We'll be there.

And I just have one announcement to make, and that is that our Sacramento Youth Commission is partnering with Aggie Square to do a spring listening session.

So this is going to be an opportunity for young people to come share their voices about the Aggie Square Project and the community benefits agreement, how it's impacting them.

So I hope that you will join us on March 20th at 4.30pm at West Campus High School that's located at 50.2258 Street in Sacramento.

And at this time, we still have folks that are waiting to come in. So we will take a 10-minute recess. We'll wait for folks to come in and settle in.

So everybody has an opportunity to sit down and submit a speaker slip. Thank you.

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Staff, please put 30 seconds on the clock and restart our video stream.

Thank you Madam Clerk.

We now begin with item 20 with the presentation by Mayor Steinberg.

Welcome.

Thank you very much Madam Vice Mayor and my colleagues.

I would like to invite up here if it is okay.

Essentially to be co-presenters with me.

Basim Alcara, the Director of Care Sacramento Valley.

Tafik Maror, the Attorney and former Care Board Member.

Makis Soez, Community Advocate.

Within for the Palestinian American Community.

I'd also like to invite on this side a Jaisianir, a Jewish Community Leader and former Council Member,

Rabbi Seth Kasselman and Judy Heimann, a member and leader of the Sacramento Jewish Community.

If you would all come on up and join me please.

As I make my presentation then with the Vice Chair's permission to then turn it over to each of them for brief comments before we begin public testimony.

Welcome.

Thank you. Thank you all so much for being here.

Members of the City Council and members of our Sacramento community.

Today let us strive for peace both in the Middle East and here in our beloved city.

Those who point out that the City Council has no purview over a war thousands of miles away are correct.

We don't.

But this resolution is not about Sacramento.

This resolution is not about the Middle East so much.

This resolution is about Sacramento.

For the events in the Middle East have deeply divided our community and fractured our proud history of interfaith solidarity.

Many Sacramento's are deeply affected by the conflict because they have family members and friends in Gaza and in Israel.

The resolution is important in expressing our community's values.

Maybe even more important is whether tonight and in the succeeding days, weeks and months our community,

especially our interfaith communities, can begin talking with one another again, gently with compassion, with understanding,

and acknowledgement of the impact the war continues to have on our Jewish, Palestinian and Muslim communities here in Sacramento.

There is in fact tremendous fear, disagreement and trauma on all sides of this divide.

It is all real and very understandable.

And yet we must answer for ourselves and our city.

What comes next?

We are not at war with each other here in Sacramento.

We are not at war with each other in Sacramento.

We have a long history of strong interfaith relationships.

The Muslim American and Palestinian American community stood with the synagogues when we were fire bombed back in 1999.

And the Jewish community in Sacramento stood with the Muslim American and Palestinian communities after 9-11 when they were victims of stereotyping and discrimination.

And there are a dozen other examples that I could cite here tonight of where our communities have stood with and for each other.

These bonds have been tested and in some ways they have been damaged over these past months.

Only we together can change that.

Tonight represents a real effort to try to do just that.

This resolution has not divided our community.

It has not created division in our city.

It has exposed the divisions that already exist.

And we have an obligation as leaders, no matter our walk of life, to try to make it better.

This resolution calls for a bilateral ceasefire between Israel and Gaza.

It fully, it fully acknowledges the death and the suffering of thousands of innocent people in Gaza.

There are a few atrocities against the Jewish people on October 7th.

It calls for the immediate release of hostages.

And Palestinians in the Israeli jails that have not been charged with crimes.

It calls for a free and independent Palestinian state.

And with the support of Muslim leadership, pretty unprecedented actually acknowledges the need for a safe and secure Israel.

It calls for humanitarian relief in Gaza.

It decries anti-Semitism in Islamophobia.

And it specifically calls for new leadership on both sides.

That means Hamas and Netanyahu.

That shouldn't be that controversial.

We must answer for ourselves in our city.

Among the division, among the fear, and among the trauma.

What comes next?

We have a long history, as I said, of interfaith relationships.

And so there is only one way forward tonight and in the days ahead.

Please, everyone, listen with an open heart to every speaker, even if they say something that you disagree with.

Testify with passion, of course, consistent with your beliefs, but also respect for others.

Who have a different point of view.

Try to see beyond the words you don't like in the resolution and focus on the words that affirm your values and beliefs.

The resolution, as I just described, is comprehensive and fair.

It's not as some of the opponents on any side. We'll characterize it.

Some on all sides will argue that it unfairly equates the causes and suffering between the Palestinian and Jewish people.

I strongly disagree.

And this is not about judging equivalency.

Who are we to do that?

It's about common suffering that continues to affect thousands of people from all sides in our city.

And in our community.

There are many voices in our proud Jewish community here in Sacramento.

And tonight you will hear from friends from some Jewish organizations who oppose the resolution because they believe it is not supportive enough of Israel.

Other voices from the Jewish community, called the Jewish Left, may oppose because they believe it is not critical enough of Israel.

The people who are standing beside me and many others in this room and in the community are also leaders of our Jewish community.

And here and here are here in favor of this balanced and principled compromise.

I believe that I have been elected how many times since 1992, I believe strongly that their voices represent the majority of people in our Jewish community and in our entire city.

But if anyone who agrees or disagrees with the resolution chooses to shout down and prevent people from talking, we will ask them reluctantly to leave the chambers and recess if necessary.

If they won't leave and continue to disrupt, we will be forced then ultimately to clear our chambers.

And so if anyone chooses to disrupt, that leads to the clearing of the chambers, that will deprive hundreds of people from being heard in this city council chamber and from speaking their truth.

I do not want that.

And nobody wants that.

We will vote up or down tonight.

Either way, because these issues must be brought to a resolution.

To have to shut down this meeting, which I hope does not happen, because any group or individual doesn't like the direction or the outcome would be unfortunate.

And it would be anti-democratic.

We, we, we are not enemies but friends.

We must not be enemies, set our most famous president.

Please try tonight to hear each other to respect the process and to respect the outcome.

Thank you very much.

Ready to hear from some of my co-presenters.

Go ahead.

The last time I, the first time I came here was October 17th.

It was about 10 days after everything that happened October 7th.

And I've been coming on and off in the last five months and I appreciate you taking the time to listen to us today.

Not only myself, but everybody here who's in attendance.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Over five months ago, myself with two other Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, American women embarked on an endeavor to draft a ceasefire resolution and engage in dialogues with the mayor.

To ensure it's in consideration and adoption.

The process has entailed extensive and continuous exchanges spanning the course of those five months.

The original objective of this resolution was to advocate for a ceasefire aimed at holding the ongoing mass occurrence violence and to facilitate unrestricted humanitarian aid to civilians in need, especially with the starvation crisis currently occurring.

Since October 7th, more than 35,000 innocent lives encompassing mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, grandmothers, grandfathers have been killed and massacred, including family members of some of people within our own Sacramento community.

This staggering toll amounts to nearly 250 fatalities per day.

In the face of such devastation, the discriminatory responses from the opposing government could not passively observe the current events unfold.

Refused to await the actions of others or simply hope for favorable outcome.

Undoubtedly, this journey has been met with challenges heightened by the profound differences between the involved parties.

Nevertheless, amidst these disparities, this differences, sorry, Ramadan brain, we reached a common understanding, the imperativeness of upholding the humanity and amplifying the call for immediate ceasefire.

While acknowledging that perfection is hard to achieve, we recognize inherent imperfections of this resolution.

Certain aspects resonate strongly with our community, others fail to fully capture the realities on the ground.

I urge us all to remain steadfast in our commitment to advancing the cause of peace and justice not only today, but every day.

Let us continue to raise our voices in solidarity and pursue avenues for meaningful dialogue and resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Vice President of Members of the Council.

I want to thank you for the time tonight.

I'm here representing myself.

And I'm here because this is such a critical issue to our community as a whole over time.

I want to acknowledge and recognize how difficult this has been for individuals and organizations on all sides of the issue.

We're certainly not the first community who's had to wrestle with this issue.

I hope we're the last, but we won't be the last.

This will continue to happen across the country.

Also, I want to recognize the challenges that have been with the process that's got us here today.

But here is where we are.

And so, for me, it's how do we deal with it and move forward for the good of all.

I don't know how tonight will turn out.

I don't do that anymore.

But whether this resolution passes or fails, I hope and pray that what got us here today opens the door to a deepening relationship between the Muslim, Palestinian and Jewish communities here in Sacramento.

And also, that should include folks who are not immediately involved, but who are looking at this issue as something that's important to them.

It's important for the humanity of our city and how we are looked at and how we look at our city.

While I doubt that this resolution or any actions for that matter, any of our actions for that matter will have a determining impact on what happens in the Middle East.

It can and should have an impact here in Sacramento.

It just seems to me that as we fight growing anti-Semitism on one side here, and our Muslim friends fight against, and our Palestinian friends fight against Islamophobia, we would be stronger taking action together.

Two are always better than one.

My hope is that we each make a commitment to the other.

That however tonight turns out, we work together for a better Sacramento.

Together, I hope we can work towards creating a community that our children and our grandchildren and our great grandchildren want to live in.

We are living and working together as the norm and not just the exception.

I am personally willing to make that commitment. I hope you are as well.

We start now. Thank you.

Your city council, city manager.

As Sacramento, we stand together today, people of all backgrounds, of all faiths, to stand for a ceasefire.

Sacramento is a community that always comes together to support each other during challenging times.

Today, we come together to stand for a ceasefire, to stand for human dignity, to call for an end to the violence, immediate aid, and to Gaza.

The release over 100 hostages held in Gaza, and the thousands of Palestinians, prisoners in Israeli jails, including children.

This resolution does this, and much more.

It recognizes that situation on the ground doesn't just impact Palestinians and Israelis.

But it also affects us Arabs, Muslims, Christians, and Jews right here in Sacramento.

It requires each community to recognize the pain that the other is going through, and the language of the resolution shows this.

It demands that all residents and community members recognize the pain of our community.

The Stemophobia, the anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab sentiments that our community is experiencing, and the anti-Semitism that the Jewish community is experiencing,

are something that we cannot accept and cannot be tolerated.

As someone who has directly suffered the consequences of the ongoing crisis in Gaza, losing over 76 family members, losing our families home, losing our cemeteries, where my ancestors are buried.

I thank Mayor Steinberg for bringing together the community to push through this resolution.

Behind the scenes, he has worked tirelessly to make this happen by serving as a bridge between communities.

This resolution is not perfect. It doesn't have all the details we wanted.

In negotiations, we don't always get what we want. However, this resolution has a strong and clear call for a ceasefire, which is the primary goal.

This resolution calling for a ceasefire is important in symbolic, as it will apply pressure on our federal leaders to act quickly to save innocent lives on all sides.

This is Sacramento. The capital city of the most powerful state in the most powerful country.

Sacramento, the nation is watching.

I, along with Kalman's other residents of Sacramento, have been personally impacted by this bloodshed, calling for a ceasefire today is not a political gesture.

It is a necessary humanitarian intervention, and the first step towards ending the horrific violence and securing the relief of hostages in Gaza and political prisoners in Israel.

Calling for a ceasefire today is also significant steps for our communities, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish, that our mutual desire for humanity and peace is something that can only be realized through discussion and dialogue.

Only then can we start to take the necessary steps to achieve a just and lasting peace for all people in the region.

Today, we stand side by side to call for peace.

Good evening, Vice Chair, Council members, and fellow Sacramentans.

My name is Judy Heimann, and I'm a member of the Sacramento Jewish community.

I'm speaking for myself as an individual, but I will mention that the e-commerce for this item include a letter of support for more than 50 members of the Jewish community,

who support this item for similar reasons as mine.

I support the proposed resolution in the hope that it can help build greater understanding and compassion in our city about this very painful and complicated situation in Israel and Gaza.

My support for this action is an expression of my Jewish values.

It is a call for de-escalation of violence in the spirit of Bitsel-M-Elohim that we are all created in the image of God.

This is a rejection of efforts to dehumanize one side or the other.

It is a call to honor the humanity in each of us, both in Israel and Gaza and here in Sacramento.

It is a call to engage in a long-term non-military solution addressing the root causes of injustice and inequity in Israel and Palestine in a manner that honors the humanity of all people who live there.

It is a call for solidarity, a call for life. Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor Steinberg, Vice Mayor Maple, Mayor Pro Temt-Talamantas and respected members of the City Council.

I greet you with a greeting of peace.

A salamu alaikum. May peace be upon you all.

My name is Tofik Marar and I'm a Muslim American, a Palestinian American, and I've been a proud resident of Sacramento for the past 34 years.

I was raised in Sacramento, studied in Sacramento, then my college studies in Sacramento, my law school in Sacramento, I got married in Sacramento, and I have an office in Sacramento.

So this resolution affects me right here in Sacramento.

The Middle East conflict between these Realism Palestinians began decades ago. We know that. We're not here to debate that.

But since the October 7th attacks and the subsequent Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, myself, my family, hundreds of people in this room as I'm sure you'll hear shortly, have been impacted severely.

We shed tears every day as we watched child after child, woman after woman, grandmother after grandmother and grandfather after grandfather, lose their lives because of the Israeli war on Gaza.

We've stayed glued to our phones, our televisions, looking for some kind of hope and miracle that we'll find some kind of reprieve for the people in the Gaza Strip.

Many of us have contributed funds to countless humanitarian causes to help the innocent civilians stuck in the middle of this war.

Thousands of us have taken to the streets in demonstration to express our disapproval with our federal government support of this war.

For months, we've demanded that our elected officials in Washington, DC use their power and influence to call for a ceasefire, to end the suffering of the people, the death and despair of all innocent civilians stuck on both sides of this war.

And today we're here to ask you to do the same.

I'm sure if you ask the average person in this room, you'll hear that the proposed resolution before you doesn't go far enough on some issues.

Maybe it goes too far on some issues.

It has a lot of flaws in it.

I agree with all those sentiments.

Yes, it's not a perfect resolution, but it's a discussion we have to have.

This resolution was a result of months of discussions, debate, and yes, that time severe deadlock about what's needed in the long term and in the short term to address the situation on the ground.

It was a result of 7 a.m. phone calls, 11 p.m. Zoom calls, and countless in-person discussions between.

In the short term, it's straightforward.

We seek an immediate and permanent end to the violence and bloodshed.

We want humanity to prevail over hatred and peace to prevail over the prophets of war.

We seek that all persons held unjustly and illegally, whether it's the Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, or the thousands of Palestinians held without charge in Israeli jails, be released.

We seek that our government does everything in its power to facilitate the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, medical supplies, food, nutrition, and shelter to the millions of people in the Gaza Strip so that they can have hope to survive the following day.

But this resolution even goes a step further in that.

The resolution calls for the people of Sacramento to stand as one body to call for the end to this war.

It calls for all of us to stand side by side against any form of bigotry and discrimination.

Be it the Slamaphobia or anti-Arab settlement on one side, or the anti-Semitism affecting some of our Jewish community members on the other side.

It calls for each other. It calls for us all to acknowledge each other's humanity.

I'm sure if you ask every person in this room, they will have a different view as to what the resolution should be,

or the ultimate solution to how we could solve this conflict in the Middle East.

But I'll leave you with two points.

What we seek is a preservation of innocent and precious life.

And the second point is a saying from our beloved Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, who says,

If you see an injustice, then change it with your hand by taking action.

If you cannot change it with your hand, then change it with your tongue by speaking out against it.

If you cannot change it with your tongue, then change it with your heart by praying for the oppressed and for those on the ground.

You all have a chance that it takes some form of action against an injustice.

Perhaps one of the most egregious injustices we've seen in our lifetime.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Madam Vice Mayor, City Council, my name is Rabbi Seth Castleman.

I've worked in Sacramento for over 10 years and I support this resolution.

I support the state of Israel. I support the state of Palestine. May it happen.

And I support peace.

The Jewish values I aim to teach my children are not the values of hate, vengeance, and violence.

But rather some of the most central Jewish values.

To protect life.

That we are all created in God's image.

And that we should love our neighbor as none other than ourselves.

These values instruct us to condemn the violence of October 7th.

These values teach us to call for bilateral ceasefire.

These values implore us to demand far more aid be flowing into Gaza.

These values also speak to the strong interfaith community here in Sacramento,

a community that largely stands behind this resolution.

I do not see the dividing line as between Muslim and Jew, between Israeli and Palestinian,

but rather the dividing line as between those that are for peace and those that are for violence and war.

I ask that you vote positively for this resolution. Thank you.

Thank you to all of the co-presenters.

I think that it is appropriate with Vice Chair's permission that we begin the public testimony.

I do think I just want to sum up by repeating again that there, as Tafikmoura said,

there is enough in this resolution for every community to like and to affirm one's position and values.

And there is enough in the resolution to create discomfort and even disagreement.

That's the nature of principled compromise.

And I remind everybody again that the resolution not only calls for the bilateral ceasefire,

immediate and permanent, but to cries the death and suffering of thousands of innocents and Gaza

and calls for immediate humanitarian relief.

It also condemns specifically the horrific atrocities by Hamas against innocent people in Israel on October 7th

and calls for the immediate release of hostages.

It calls for a Palestinian state and it calls for a safe and secure Israel.

Thank you. Let's start public comment.

Thank you to our presenters.

Madam City Clerk, do we have members of the public to speak on this item?

Yes, Vice Mayor. I have 82 speaker slips.

I will read off a couple and then we'll get started.

Shadi Khatib, Rabbi Seth Kasselman, Rabbi Susan Khenforti, Dr. Irma Warris.

We do have quite a few people so if you wouldn't mind lining up in the middle aisle.

So Shadi?

Yes, please proceed.

Thank you, fellow councilmembers.

Back in February 6th, I had shared with this council each day nearly 200 people were killed since the siege began.

160 days and I am saddened to update the council that the number has now exceeded 250 per day.

For perspective, this is equivalent to 5,000 Californians dying each and every day.

Meanwhile, it has taken nearly 5.5 months to reach a resolution that unfortunately needs amendments.

The most glaring disturbing is a six passage whereas a stating,

the city of Sacramento condemns a weaponizing of sexual violence.

Is never acceptable in war or otherwise?

Who in the right mind believes is acceptable or for that matter needs to be a focal point of a ceasefire resolution?

This has no place as such words implicate your constituents to not know right from wrong.

If such usage is in fact deemed acceptable, then where is a call out a weaponization of starvation?

Which we are clearly seeing in real time.

I request that you strike this statement from the resolution.

Next, the third passage states hundreds of Israeli hostages, which is factually incorrect.

It is stated in New York Times and Times of Israel to be 130.

This statement should be reflected for accuracy to over 100 as it currently undermines a scaled brutality when compared to each responsible party.

Finally, the first result passes less 4 key simultaneous elements needed for a ceasefire.

There should be 5 simultaneous elements.

The fifth being the immediate release of all Palestinians held without charge or trial in Israeli prisons.

Calling for a release is not the same as the many other release of those held without trial.

I urge you to take these amendments into consideration.

Thank you for your time.

Good evening.

I'm Chaplin Rabbi Susan Conforty.

My mother survived Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen concentration camps in World War II, where she met the sisters Anne and Margot Frank.

After the war, the Jewish community of Louisville, Kentucky put up sponsorship funds, which allowed my mother an immigrant with no money and who spoke no English to be able to immigrate to the United States and one day become a citizen.

I'm proud to be Jewish and proud to be an American and a Californian.

Here, like nowhere else on earth, we have a marvelous diversity of nationalities and religions and languages.

Here, we can stand together with people of good will and speak our minds.

Here, we can build, maintain, and strengthen community, build bridges across divides, and speak out for the release of hostages and for the protections of civilians.

I don't speak for all Jews or all rabbis, but I do stand with all Jews everywhere as I yearn for peace with Arabs of all religions and Muslims of every country.

May that desire for peace be what we teach our children and our grandchildren.

Members of the board, I urge you to vote yes on Mayor Steinberg's proposal.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comment for Rabbi Seth Castleman.

Did we have Shadi speak?

Okay. Shadi, thank you.

Dr. Umar Waris, Lynn Berkeley-Baskin, Matthew Woodward.

People can line up if you would like as the names are being called.

Thank you.

Respect to Mayor and respect to Council members.

Good afternoon. My name is Umar Waris.

I'm a physician in the community and I'm also a board member for the Greater Sacramento Muslim Public Affairs Committee,

which has been dedicated for the past few months for mobilizing the grassroots Muslim community to be an active participant in the elections, as well as the political process, particularly in light of the tragedy ongoing in Gaza at this time.

And I want to say that for the past few months as what many are calling it a genocide has been unfolding, many of us has been looking for our elected officials to take a stand to call for a ceasefire.

And I'm grateful for the steps that have been taken by this Council and by the Mayor today.

And I do feel that there are ways that the resolution could also be stronger in the ways that it was highlighted in the amendments that were spoken to earlier by one of the earlier speakers as well.

But nonetheless, I do want to recognize that this resolution is at least a start.

It calls for a bilateral ceasefire. It calls for the release of hostages.

It calls for the release of prisoners unjustly held. And it calls for Palestinian statehood as well.

Lastly, Mayor, as we are in this process of hopefully, as you have called for healing and bringing the community together, I wanted to also bring your attention to the fact that the Muslim community

will be hosting a Palestine exhibit to bring attention to the history of Palestine.

And I hope that you all could be a part of those as well in the future.

I thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Council members, colleagues and family in the Jewish community, Palestinian Muslim friends, partners and organizers in the community at large.

I speak today as an individual, not representing my position in the Jewish community.

Many in my Jewish community will see my presence here today as a betrayal.

I've spent the greater part of 30 years serving my Jewish community in leadership positions and almost the same in anti-hate, anti-racism,

liberative community at both the grassroots and tree tops.

I speak loudly in the support of this proposed resolution today, not because it is wholly accurate. It is not.

It certainly does not tell the whole story.

A resolution can't possibly represent the fear, anguish and oppression experienced in the region's story, in that region's story.

I support this resolution today not because it dampens the flames of legitimate fears felt in Israel and Gaza,

and of our diasporic peoples here in our home of the Sacramento region.

This includes Jews, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians, but because this resolution is largely symbolic of the importance of reflecting on inhumanity,

the pain of one another, especially in moments of collective tragedy.

I cannot walk away from this expression of local unity.

It is important that history reflects that leaders of the local Jewish community supported the spirit of this effort to prioritize an end to violence,

support humane responses to suffering, nurture local solidarity and hold fast to the relationships we continue to build.

Regardless of the inadequate and incomplete statements in this resolution, the final three stated resolves are where we have the greatest power to actualize this resolution.

Please read the final three resolves I run out of time.

Thank you very much. Matthew Woodward, then Amira Sagga.

Thank you.

As an Episcopalian, we vow in our baptismal covenant that we will respect the dignity of every human being.

Since October the 7th, dignity has not been afforded to those killed, assaulted, made hostages or to innocent lives caught up in this conflict.

I am praying that we find the strength to respect the dignity of every human being.

Jewish and Palestinian and Muslim, which extends to the interactions here tonight and in the city of Sacramento, this is my prayer.

As a person of faith, I have the hope that resolution is possible.

I hope that this body making this decision will further a public conversation about how we might move away from this cycle of violence.

I agree with the actions the resolution calls for, a bilateral ceasefire and end to the violence, a return of hostages and prisoners held without charge, a resumption of all humanitarian aid,

and fresh eyes in leadership to see the path towards a stable peace for all.

I ask that you approve this resolution.

Thank you.

Left.

Ladies and gentlemen, since October 7th, over 35,000 innocent civilians have, and even some of our own family members, have been killed due to the collective punishment of Palestinians by the Israeli government.

The first week of November, a few of us, which included Palestinian, Arab and Muslim American women, took on the initiative as individuals to draft a ceasefire resolution.

I think it's crucial to understand that while we may have clear beliefs about what should occur, the complexities of politics and the realities of the world often limit our options.

We must focus on what actions we can take within these constraints.

As a Palestinian-American, I urge everyone to look at the bigger picture.

We are never going to get a resolution that strictly stands for everything that we want.

I know it's not perfect. Trust me, I know. And as we have seen even people within their own communities have a difference of opinion.

While we acknowledge that this resolution may not align with all of our points of view, passing it as a step towards adding pressure for a call for a permanent ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid is crucial.

It sets a precedent that can pressure other cities to follow suit, creating a domino effect that ultimately puts pressure at the federal level.

Each step forward, no matter how small, contributes to the larger goal of peace and justice for all the affected communities.

We must keep our eyes open on the long-term goal and avoid being short-sighted.

The decisions we make today will impact generations to come.

So let us stand united and our commitment to the lasting peace and justice.

We have always tried to advocate and keep everything from for a humanitarian standpoint since the beginning.

This resolution calls for a permanent ceasefire ensuring unrestricted humanitarian aid reach the Palestinians and the release of Palestinian prisoners held unjustly without charge, which is more than any other city in the US has called for in their past resolutions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Free to line up in the middle aisle.

Gordon Dean, Mary and left, Jamil Morer, Eileen Jacobowitz.

Gordon.

Gordon is outside.

If you will introduce yourself, then I will move past.

Good evening.

My name is Jamil Morer, I am a board member of the Mezuddin Nord Islamic Center in Sacramento.

Mr. Mayor, respected council members.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to voice our opinion in this meeting.

Looking at the latest numbers of the people killed in Gaza, there has been nearly 32,000 people killed as of today.

25,000 of them are women and children.

74,000 people injured.

10,000 people are still under the rebels and did not take them out yet.

Total number of the victims in Gaza is 116,000 victims.

This is 4.6% of the total population of Gaza of 2.5 million people.

To apply this number here against our population in the United States, that will give us 16 million victims.

To apply it against the Israeli population that will give us close to half a million victims.

This is genocide, no matter how we explain it, no matter how we define it.

We expect you as our representative to be on the right side of history and help save the injured and starving children of Gaza.

Vote yes, please on this resolution and join us in sending a strong message to our leaders in Washington to do the same.

The country proudly says our country is proudly says we are the leader of the free world.

But we have since became 11 stock, sadly.

153 countries voted for a ceasefire.

We stood shamelessly against the rest of the world and vetoed three ceasefires.

Mayor and council members, I urge you please to vote yes on the ceasefire resolution.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mayor Steinberg and city council members for your commitment to the work you do on behalf of the city of Sacramento.

It's no easy job.

My name is Mary and left and I am co-president of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region and nonprofit organization.

We represent the greater Jewish population in our region.

However, our members are not a homogeneous community.

Far from it, we can have and we do have differing views on many issues.

This resolution is no exception.

We met with members of the Muslim community to attempt to craft an acceptable resolution for both the Muslim and Jewish community with strong opinions.

We discussed with and heard from many leaders in our community with strong opinions regarding the ceasefire resolution in Gaza.

At the end of the day, we could not agree on the language presented before you as the best compromise.

We respect the heartfelt intent and reasoning of our mayor who we count as a member of our Jewish community in bringing this resolution forward.

But we respectfully disagree that it will achieve its aim.

In fact, we believe there are significant consequences of this resolution should it pass.

We fear for the safety of our community.

Our own Jewish community is torn.

We fear for the disruption of fragile relationships with the Muslim community.

Massive uptick in both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic events nationwide are not quelled by a resolution that will have no impact on the outcome of the war between Israel and Hamas.

Nor is it the business of our city council but should be left to those with expertise and foreign matters.

I regret to say we must therefore oppose the resolution.

We in the Jewish and Muslim communities have experienced excruciating pain and grief since October 7th.

We are committed to furthering the dialogue with the Jewish and Muslim communities and we will seek out such opportunities as we envision a more peaceful Sacramento for all citizens.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Eileen, Debra Hoffman-Gonzalez.

Good evening.

My name is Eileen Jacobowitz and I am a member of the non-Homogeneous Jewish community here in Sacramento.

I'm a proud Jew and I'm a proud Sacramento.

And I'm here tonight in support of the resolution for an immediate bilateral ceasefire in Gaza.

While the resolution will not resolve anything in the Middle East, this carefully and collaboratively crafted resolution reflects a very important Jewish ideal.

Shalom by it.

Shalom meaning peace and by it meaning house.

We need this resolution to advance Shalom by it.

Peace between neighbors in our shared Sacramento home.

Thank you for your comments.

Debra Hoffman-Gonzalez and Gordon Dean.

My name is Debra Gonzalez.

I'm a resident of Sacramento County who works and recreates in the city of Sacramento.

And I do not support this resolution.

In 2019 when I was president of the Jewish Federation, I had the honor of meeting with the mayor of Sacramento's sister city, Ashkalan.

Ashkalan is a town booming with industry and immigration.

On any street corner you can hear Hebrew Arabic, Russian, Ukrainian, Amharic, French and English.

It's forecasted to have the largest growth in Israel in terms of both population and businesses.

It has the largest reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world.

These are the things we learned when we met with the mayor.

We also toured the three bomb shelters at Sacramento's Jewish community had donated the previous year.

Ashkalan is the largest metropolitan area closest to the Gaza Strip.

It's an old town, biblically old, and none of the old apartment complexes are equipped with bomb shelters.

Since 2008 it has been the target of rockets being launched from nearby Gaza.

Imagine West Sacramento shooting rockets into Midtown or Elk Grove shooting missiles into Land Park.

The rockets and missiles launched from Gaza are weapons illegally smuggled into the Gaza Strip.

The Hamas government diverted humanitarian funds to build tunnels used for smuggling and purchasing weapons.

I object to the resolution because I think a US city has no business commenting on something taking place half a world away.

If you want to get into the weeds there was a ceasefire October 6th.

What good that did.

A temporary ceasefire is necessary to free the hostages, but until the terrorist government is out of power,

another ceasefire will only give them more time to rebuild and restock.

If this city council is going to spend time and energy away from the citizens who elected them,

I would suggest reaching out to their sister city who have been victims of the violence.

I'm heading to Israel Sunday.

I would be happy to bring along your good wishes and any tangible help this city council is interested in providing

that can truly make a difference.

This divisive resolution is not that and I would be embarrassed to hear your comments.

Our next speaker is Todd Indine.

I'm on the air.

We're pleased to hear your comments.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You've got to be careful.

One gets everyone gets a chance to speak.

Everyone, please.

Good evening.

I'm a member of the Jewish community here in Sacramento.

We want the council to know that it is possible to support Israel's right to exist and to support

a ceasefire.

Existence does not necessitate bombing civilians, even if those civilians are being used

as human shields.

And those of us who do support Israel have the obligation that is to demand that Israel

live up to international standards of morality and human rights.

I want my Palestinian and Muslim neighbors to know that there are Jews.

Like me, who pray in synagogues here, who see your pain and the pain and needless suffering

of your family members in Gaza.

Like many other Jews, I don't believe that bombing civilians is morally acceptable

under any circumstance.

I cannot stomach the Jewish Federation's characterization of Israel's response as justified,

when is it justified to starve a million people just to exist.

The Jewish Federation does not represent me on their characterization that this is not

a local issue either.

I believe that years from now our children and grandchildren will ask us.

What did you do when one million Palestinian children were on the brink of starvation?

And when Benjamin Netanyahu was going to invade Rafa, what will our answer be?

Will it be that we let ourselves off the hook and decided that this issue was not under

the council's jurisdiction?

Or will we say we did everything we could to protect life?

Even when the actions were symbolic, we took symbolic actions because that's how we send

messages to our federal leaders to take further action.

That's how we demonstrate our principles.

That's how we teach our children and that is how we move forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, Carmen.

Inden Hayah Akkad.

Good evening.

My name is Gordon Dean.

I'm a public school teacher and a member of Congregation of the Bene Israel.

And I'm here speaking just for myself.

No one is happy with what is happening and this solution will not fix that.

This resolution is an attempt by Sacramento to preserve the bonds that we have here in

Sacramento.

We must face the history that has brought us here but we must have the courage to see

a way forward.

There is no way to get from here to there except by joining hands and going together.

That is why I urge the members of this City Council to vote in favor of this joint resolution.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I just want to gently remind everyone that we can't have shouting out.

We have to let everybody speak and the shouting out will only prevent everybody from speaking.

So it's calm.

It's good.

Everyone is being heard and everyone will be heard.

Thank you.

Nick Speaker is Hayah.

Then Dan Weitzman.

Hello.

I stand before you today not just as a witness to the tragedy happening in Gaza but as a

voice for change for action and for justice.

We face countless of hurdles, internal disagreements and external pressures.

But through it all one thing has remained crystal clear.

This resolution is overdue and we need to call for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian

aid.

This resolution does that.

This situation in Gaza right now is beyond dire but let's not forget the blockade imposed

by the Israeli government that has turned Gaza into an open air prison well before October

7th where basic necessities are scarce commodities.

Millions of innocent lives are trapped in a cycle of suffering with over 50% of the population

under the age of 18.

A generation born in captivity and deprived of their most basic fundamental rights.

We cannot afford to stand by and watch this humanitarian crisis unfold before our eyes.

It is time to take action now.

There are aspects of this resolution that I personally disagree with but in the grand

scheme of things it is a step in the right direction.

A step toward ending the bloodshed, a step toward the stop to the violence and towards

giving the Palestinian people a chance of life that they rightfully deserve.

So I urge everyone to stand in solidarity today, to stand in solidarity with the people

of Gaza and stand with us in demanding an end to the suffering, the violence and a shared

commitment to justice and humanity.

Together we can make a difference, together we can build a future where peace prevails.

The time for action is now.

Thank you for considering this resolution and thank you council members for listening

to everyone here.

Please remember that the loudest people in the room don't represent our community.

Our community wants peace and our community wants an end to the killing and end to the

violence.

Thank you.

Once again, please, please, let everybody speak.

Please.

Thank you Mayor and council members for giving me an opportunity to speak here.

You know, I'm here to support the efforts of our mayor and the city council to try to

bring us back together.

We have clearly had a horrible horrific thing happen in the Middle East for 70 years.

What happened October 7th is horrific and there is no call for that to ever be denied.

There's no justification for it and there is nothing we can go back on.

But we as a second community have to be courageous.

I have watched council meeting after council meeting be interrupted and destroyed over this

issue.

We must seek peace.

That doesn't mean that Israel doesn't have the right to do what they done.

Does it mean that Palestine doesn't have the right to have their own state?

What it means is we as a community, not there but here need to bring ourselves back together.

This has been an amazing community.

I've lived here for 30 years.

We march together, we cry together, we talk together because we're together.

And we as a community have been broken over this issue.

I've watched these council meetings get stopped and stopped.

It's time to do something different.

It's time for us to step up.

I'm not sure this will solve anything and I'm not clear anything will happen of this.

But I'll tell you one thing, doing nothing has proven to do horrible things for this city.

We have to build housing.

We have to take care of our homeless.

If take care of our streets, we need to move this agenda forward.

And if maybe just maybe this resolution brings us to a place where we can have more conversations,

we can have more dialogue and we can bring people together, then maybe just maybe it's a

good opportunity.

I'm not sure it's going to work.

Maybe the temperature goes down 10 degrees.

But that 10 degrees might bring us a little better place.

So I support peace and I support the community to come together.

And it's hard for me, but I believe this resolution is the best we're going to have for

now.

And next speaker is Omar Al-Tamimi, Bruce Pratt, Ezra

Lip, Omar Al-Tamimi, Bruce Pat Ezra Lip, and then Michael Dean.

Good to go.

Perfect.

Today, hello everyone, my name is Omar Al-Tamimi.

Thank you all for being here.

I'm the senior policy and advocacy coordinator at CARE, Sacramento Valley, and Central

California.

Today, I'm not really here to speak to you as an advocate or anything more than just

who I am as a human being alongside every other person in this room.

I won't even begin by addressing this resolution.

I want to start by kind of sharing my own thoughts coming into this room and the suffering

that we've seen.

I don't have children of my own.

Maybe one day there will be smaller versions of me wreaking havoc on the world.

But I know many of you have children.

I know many people in the crowd have children and families.

And none of us here would want our children and our families in Gaza today.

None of us would want our districts to be bombed, our hospitals, our schools to be bombed

or attacked.

Nor would any of you have wanted your children present in Gaza or Israel on October 7th.

We wouldn't have wanted our districts turned to rubbles or our infrastructure targeted

and bombed.

And if we don't want unnecessary death and destruction here, then our humanity mandates

us to not stand by and watch as this reality takes place elsewhere.

If for no other reason than just that one reason, let your shared humanity be the reason

that you stand with the ceasefire resolution and why it needs to pass today.

For our communities here, this resolution is a starting point.

By no means is an ending point.

People have spoken to all the issues, all the issues they can find, all the issues they

want to find.

But ultimately, and I agree with Tophiek on this, there's one part of this resolution,

every person in this room will agree with at least one part of this resolution and walk

away with that.

Even if they don't have to agree with every other part of it, they'll find that one piece

that allows them to live with it and agree with it.

So thank you for holding this.

Thank you for hearing the community out, letting us all speak and speak our share as well.

Thank you to the many leaders of our communities who have spoken on this resolution already and

worked so hard towards bringing this forth to this conversation.

Please vote yes on this resolution.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Bruce Pat, Ezra Lip.

Bruce Pat, then Ezra Lip, then Michael Dean.

Is Bruce here?

Maybe, yeah.

Okay.

Ezra.

Michael Dean.

Following Mr. Dean is Mike Burkins.

Good evening.

I'm here to oppose the resolution, although I honestly really appreciate all the effort that

has gone into this over the last few months.

I think the mayor put it correctly when he indicated that lots of us feel it's simply not

in our purview to get involved.

Or if we do get involved, why are we involved in this and not in other conflicts in which even

more Muslims are being killed than are being killed in Gaza?

On those we're totally silent.

I have no idea why.

The total number of deaths in the entire Arab-Israeli conflict starting from 75 years ago is nothing

compared to the six-month total of how many people die in the Syrian war.

Or in Sudan.

Or in Libya.

On those there's total silence.

I've been very impressed in sort of a negative way this evening when I notice a lot of the

people who are here protesting, protesting that they want to free Palestine.

To me that's not just Gaza.

That's Israel that they're talking about.

If you're going to have a resolution at all, then my suggestion is to face the lack of moral

equivalency head on.

There was a ceasefire in place, a permanent ceasefire in place on October 6th and it was

violated on one side.

Hamas has multiple times since then indicated they will do it again when they are able to

and has declined to enter into a ceasefire.

If you want to pass a resolution, pass a resolution demanding that Hamas release hostages and

that they lay down their arms.

Our other than I, Shalakh at Amir, that says the Lord the God of Israel.

Let my people go.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Khassam Bissarat.

From the lobby, you can come in, Bruce Pat and Ezra Lip.

Our next speaker is Haatham Basserat, Barbara Ram.

Steve Lennus.

Steve Lewis.

If you'll line up in the aisle and let me know your name, that way folks in the lobby

can come in.

Lena Abu Samat.

Don Gilbert.

Do we have Haatham, Barbara, Steve, Lena?

Please.

Good evening.

My name is Haatham Bissarat.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you again on this critical topic.

Though I'm encouraged by the fact that a draft ceasefire resolution has been added to tonight's

agenda, I find much of the language in it to be highly problematic.

I realize that our efforts inevitably might require compromise and perhaps this is the

best that can be achieved at the moment, but the resolutions I've read from other American

cities, 74 in total, have been superior to this one.

And we're the capital city of the most progressive state in the union.

For instance, the single biggest problem here is the focus on a two state solution.

The notion that ethnic states are the only way to achieve peace and security.

This is utterly embarrassing.

Additionally, there's not a single word that even mentions the weaponization of starvation,

a war crime under international law.

And along with the predictable omission of facts pertaining to the legality of occupation

and blockade, there are also numerous sloppy factual errors.

And lastly, much of the language seems to have an odd focus on things that are taking

place here in the state when the mass slaughter and plausible genocide is taking place 8,000

miles from here, at least 30,000 human beings killed.

At least 70,000 injured, millions homeless, lives shattered, children traumatized, many

of them orphaned, more homes destroyed, more mosques, more churches, shops, roads, schools,

all of the hospitals in Gaza have been bombed.

Every university in Gaza has been leveled.

70% of the homes in that tiny piece of land have been destroyed.

Call this what it is.

It's genocide.

What legacy?

What legacy?

Time is up.

Time is up.

Thanks.

Thank you.

For calm in the chamber so everyone can be heard, please.

Good afternoon.

My name is Steve Lewis.

And with your respect to the resolution prepared by the mayor, I am here because I believe

that rather than bringing our city together, it is just going to create further division.

And I think some of that we are seeing as I speak.

What I think is the biggest flaw in this resolution is that it doesn't specifically call for

an end to Hamas' control of Gaza.

Does it call?

It does.

Does it?

No, it doesn't.

What it does is it calls for a quote-unquote change in leadership.

It does not call that could be different leaders within Hamas, just like it could be different

leaders within the Israeli government.

What do we know about Hamas?

We know not only that it's been an international terror organization declared by every president

since Bill Clinton.

We know that the most recent examples are not just October 7th, but they are going on

the air in a public interview promising the world that they will repeat October 7th again

and again.

What will that mean if Hamas stays in power?

What does it mean when Hamas is held not responsible at all for the tragedy unfolding in Gaza?

Even though we know that they use human shields and use civilian infrastructure such as

hospital schools, mosques in order to stage grounds for their attacks, what it means is

a prescription for more terror, more war, and more strife here at home.

Respectfully I believe that this resolution misses the mark.

And it has to place responsibility where responsibility belongs on the terror organization

of Hamas and to call for unrestricted aid means letting him weapons.

We all know that.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Barbara Ram.

Hold on.

Do not remind repeating it calmly.

I know emotions are high and again people agree, disagree with the resolution, excuse me,

agree, disagree with the speakers.

That is all expected.

And that is okay, but we cannot have people shouting out otherwise.

Everyone, no one else can be heard.

So I am just going to keep repeating it and hope that we continue what we are doing because

I think we are doing pretty well actually.

Mr. Gilbert?

Excuse me.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council members.

I am Don Gilbert.

I have a business in the City of Sacramento.

I do oppose the resolution, but before I get into a brief description is why I just want

to acknowledge that especially the witnesses from the Muslim community who support on your

behalf, Mr. Mayor, who supported the resolution.

We might disagree.

We might not see eye to eye.

I think we don't, but I want to acknowledge your anguish and your real sorrow.

I know it is real and I am sorry that you are having to deal with it.

I guess in a nutshell, people have good will like the folks over here and in my community,

the Jewish community, we can get together, we can extend a hand to one another without

it being politicized like it is clearly here today.

And I would, I have no doubt that we could try to bridge differences.

But the fact is that the truth is in the eye of the beholders.

And there are many, many provisions in this well-intended resolution that the Jewish community,

the organized Jewish community and myself, we think are wrong and we think they feed a

blood libel.

And there is no reason for the City of Sacramento to say, okay, this is imperfect, but we are

going to adopt it because somehow it will help bring people together.

You are actually memorializing certain things as facts that a lot of people in this community

don't believe it are facts.

And so for that reason alone, I think it would be a very inappropriate action to adopt this

resolution because it is not just imperfect, we don't all agree and you are taking a position.

And rather, I think those of us who want to see a better world for both communities on

our own can get together, extend a hand to one another.

Thank you for your comments, your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Barbara Ram, Lena Abu Shamat.

Hi, City Council and Mayor.

So I wasn't going to, I don't have anything prepared.

I was thinking I was opposed to the resolution because, well, I don't understand how you

have to release all of the Israeli prisoners, but you only have to release the Palestinian

prisoners who aren't charged.

And that didn't really seem fair to me.

And how you get rid of those who are in power, just, I don't know, it didn't seem

fair.

So I guess I'm going to really torn because I think it's a start, but I think what the person

said before us was, I can't get my thoughts clear, but those were the, that was the one

that stood out to me.

Like why release Israelis, blanket and not release Palestinians blanket?

Like just do that.

Just do that.

Anyway, that's what I would like to say.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thanks.

Hi, my name is Lena Abu Samaha.

I'm here on behalf of my family, refugees from Palestine, who know all too well the agony

of displacement and scars of generational trauma caused by this occupation lasting over

75 years, decades before October 7th.

First by similar violence is to leave our ancestral home, subtle or seized our land and

made it impossible for us to ever be able to return.

This injustice, this violence echoes through not just ours, but so many families history.

But it's not just about the past, it's about the present and the future.

As we gather here today, the horror has continued unabated.

The violence in Palestine sees over 35,000 massacred with 14,000 innocent children perished

and over 70,000 civilians injured in the last six months alone, not to mention the catastrophic

famine causing many, especially children, to die slow deaths, confirmed by the directors

at UNICEF.

Let us not forget about the war crimes being committed with impunity, bombing all hospitals,

leaving thousands of children limeless and erasing cultures.

Today, we can make a stand and be counted among the few who dare to speak truth to the

power.

The resolution before us calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and calls on the Biden administration

to use US tax dollars to truly aid the innocent suffering rather than further funding the

ongoing destruction.

While not perfect and we must fix inaccuracies, a small yet critical step towards ending the

cycle of oppression and bringing hope and freedom to people, my people, who have suffered

for far too long.

Let us not be swayed by ignorance or indifference, instead let us be guided by our conscience, the

principles of justice and compassion that unite us as human beings.

Together we can make Sacramento the capital city a beam for hope and shining example of

solidarity and empathy.

Today, right now I implore you, we must show the world that in the face of injustice we

will not remain silent.

Thank you for your comments.

Bruce, then Ezra, then Ryan Masano.

Hi, my name is Ezra Lip, I live in District 6.

I grew up in New England, I attended a Jewish day school and in eighth grade, we had Holocaust

studies class.

And I remember a point of discussion was we were talking about the other people in Europe

and in Germany.

And we were asking, how could they let this happen?

How could they stand by idly while these people went to gas chambers, while all these atrocities

happened?

And I remember making a vow as a 13 year old that in my lifetime I would not let genocide

happen on my watch.

Thank you, I failed terribly.

There's so many awful things that have happened since then and I have not been a good activist.

But when it comes to being here tonight, when it comes to people that represent Israel,

which is tied to my cultural Jewish identity, I can't be silent when I see what's happening.

When I see, yeah, just the millions of people starving, limbless without anesthesia, heartbreaking

things that we're seeing every night.

I do not believe that this is going to result in peace.

I believe the Jewish Federation has said that they think these are justified to defense.

And my question is, what would be a justifiable defense to these war crimes in Hars?

Thank you.

What proportionality would be the appropriate response using that logic?

I know this is a very sensitive issue.

I know everyone is suffering and everyone wants to seek understanding and peace.

But this is how I feel, so thank you for listening to me.

At Ryan Masano, Sarah Alzenon, Pam Herman, Ryan Masano, Sarah Alzenon, Pam Herman,

Joleen Herman, Sandy Fawn, Mr. Masano, your name?

Fridot's Shake.

No.

Did you sign up, Ms. Shake?

Yes, I did.

Okay, then go ahead.

We'll make sure that we find your—

Oh, there, right there.

Okay, we'll wait then.

Hold on.

We're going to—everybody gets a chance to speak.

Why don't we wait until we call your name, Ms. Shake?

Okay?

Sure.

Okay, thank you.

Our next speaker is Ryan Masano, Sarah Alzenon.

I strongly support the ceasefire resolution, though I agree with other speakers the wording

needs considerable revision.

However, we would never have been in this situation had Israel not come into existence

through deceit and lies.

A lot of the division comes from the media.

It isn't hard to see who controls the media.

This guy is Nazi.

We don't support him.

I support him!

Don't let him speak!

Okay, sure.

Look at it.

I am making a silent protest.

I urge you to do the same things so that we can make sure everyone is hurt.

Please, please.

Your resolution says you are for the dignity of all residents of Sacramento.

I am afraid, as Emerson said, your actions speak so loudly.

I cannot hear what you are saying.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

You support Israel, whose first Prime Minister David Ben Gurean ordered the bombing of

the King David Hotel, killing and wounding over 100 innocents.

You use the usual terms we hear from leftist, cultural Marxist, anti-Semitism, racism.

Let's be clear.

There should be no harm done to any innocent person of any race or religion.

I personally denounce harm or violence done to any innocent Jew, but I also denounce

Jews being able to escape criticism for their harming goyem or non-Jews.

Getting tired of being called an anti-Semite for simply stating truths about Jewish wrongdoing.

And why is anyone supporting Israel the most racist nation on earth?

There are no blacks, Latinos, or Asians in Israel, and there are no plans to change

this.

Israel is given the most foreign aid to Israel since 1948, and Israel won't allow you to

move there unless you are a Jew.

Zina Fobick.

So many Jews want open borders for America, but they want closed borders for Israel.

Why the hypocrisy?

And why don't you condemn loxism and enterianism, which is the hatred of Europeans' whites,

which this council, the media, schools, and politicians engage in often?

Alzainan, then Pam, then Jolene.

My council members, my name is Sarah Alzainoun, and I'm a Palestinian-American.

My grandfather is from Gaza, and my grandma lived in our sister city, Ascolon, in 1948.

Her village was destroyed, she was ethnically cleansed, and its inhabitants were forcefully

displaced.

So what came first, October 7th, or April of 1948?

Her childhood home still stands to this day, a European family lives there right now.

My relatives were being killed 40 years before the creation of Hamas.

As I've stated several times before, by October 26th, I lost 56 relatives over the span

of 60 days, including an 11th month old baby, Yassin Alzainoun.

Same last name as me.

And by last, I mean they were murdered, maimed, and killed by Israeli air strikes.

I'm watching my surviving family members starve to death, and they will starve at this

rate.

After six months, I am grateful that a resolution is on the agenda, but I believe the

resolution should be tabled until my vein returns.

The language and the resolution seems to equate violence.

You can't equate violence of the oppressor with the violence of the oppressed.

They're not the same, and the oppressor is the ultimate source of the violence from both

sides.

Please support a ceasefire.

Please consider amendments.

For again, means never again for anyone.

Palestinians deserve to live with freedom and safety, which means first stopping this genocide

and then ensuring liberation from occupation and apartheid.

The liberation and safety of Palestinians, Israeli-Jewish people, Muslim people are intertwined.

There can only be true safety when we are all free from oppression.

Please support a ceasefire, and please consider the amendments that were brought forth to you.

Excuse me, I'm going to remind you again.

There will be a vote tonight.

The question is whether or not everyone here gets the opportunity to be hurt.

Thank you.

Please.

Mayor and council members.

I'm Pam Herman, the interim CEO of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento region.

The federation is opposed to this resolution.

We oppose it because the city council should not be weighing in on foreign policy issues

of which they have no jurisdiction or expertise.

We know that this resolution written in Sacramento will not change the course of the war between

Israel and Hamas.

It is our opinion that it can cause further divide in our community.

This resolution is a compromise and it such contains misstatements and omissions that

make false equivalencies between an attack by a genocidal terrorist group Hamas and Israel's

justified defense response.

The resolution also equates hostages, those stolen from their homes, those stolen from

peace concert held in inhumane conditions, suffering from abuses and rape with prisoners

in Israeli jails.

They are not equivalent.

The resolution also lists the number of deaths and injuries based solely on unverified

information provided by Hamas, a terrorist organization.

It does not distinguish between non-combatants, Hamas terrorists killed while shooting at Israeli

soldiers and civilians killed by Hamas.

It leaves the impression that everyone who's died in Gaza is a civilian killed by Israel,

which is also false.

We mourn the loss of all life and I'm in tears after our last speaker and I'm truly

mourning the loss of all lives.

And we are all in favor of lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israelis.

This resolution, if passed, may continue to create unsafe spaces for our Jewish community

and do nothing to create the lasting peace we all desire for the safety of our community

and for the repair within our own community.

We're urging to vote no.

Regardless of the vote, I hope that it brings peace to our hearts.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Jocelyn and Sandy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Everybody speaks, please.

Hi.

My name is Jocelyn Herman.

I ask you to oppose this resolution.

I also believe it is beyond your purview.

And most importantly, I don't think it will help sacramentans, Israelis, or Palestinians.

I ask you to oppose this resolution, not because I oppose calls for peace or because I oppose

efforts for our communities to begin to heal together, but because I don't believe this

will help either.

Members of the impacted communities that were noticeably ignored by most of the comments

introducing this resolution is the Israeli community here in Sacramento whose friends and

family are still being held hostage, still under bombardment, and still under existential

threat from Hamas, who is promised to repeat the atrocities of October 7th again and again

until there are no Jews left in the world.

A resolution on the Israel, a resolution on the Israel-Hamas war will not help or build

relationships in our inner-faith community.

I believe unfortunately it will cement positions and make it only harder to heal.

We are all still grieving.

I do thank you mayor for your efforts to begin to heal our communities and the leadership

in our Jewish and Israeli and Palestinian and Arab communities who are trying to begin

to heal together through dialogue.

However, I don't believe this resolution will help as it will cement our positions.

I disagree with the mayor's characterization of this resolution.

The specific words matter.

There is good in it, but it still lends itself to a narrative that is not true.

A narrative that diminishes the atrocities and sexual violence committed on October 7th

is still being committed today.

An attempt to bring a compromise, the language compromises on the truth.

A resolution will not come tensions here as evident by many of the resolutions in the

Bay Area and the continued rise of anti-Semitism in those communities.

I do not believe this resolution will come tensions in this meeting or lower the tensions

in Sacramento.

We do not believe it will help us heal, although I do hope that we are able to learn to do so

together.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comment.

Sandy, then Eileen Jacobowitz, then Barrio Hay.

I am sorry, is this who?

Then should be Sandy, then Eileen Jacobowitz, then Barrio Hay, David Oph.

I have already spoken.

Hi, I am Sandy Fawn.

I think we can all agree that this issue has gotten out of control.

The lack of civility, respect, and really bad behavior that we have seen in this room are

a testimony to that.

It is clearly a highly charged emotional issue.

What, excuse me, Sandy, your time will pause your time.

Whoever is shouting out, you are preventing people who agree with you from being hurt.

So one more time, like that, I am going to have to call a recess and I do not want to

do it.

I actually think this is going pretty well tonight.

If we can just keep allowing people to be hurt, we will get through this and everyone will

be hurt.

Please, no more.

Thank you, Mayor.

This is clearly a highly charged emotional issue and resolutions should not be presented

or passed based on emotion.

Resolution should pass based on clear and critical thinking on reason and on facts.

But the main reason this resolution should not pass, should not even be on the agenda is

because it is not the business of Sacramento City Council to pass resolutions about Israel

or any other country or city for that matter.

Just as it would be inappropriate for the city of Tel Aviv to pass a resolution regarding

any of Sacramento's problems such as our homelessness, this resolution is absolutely

inappropriate.

That should be the end of the story.

But even in the hypothetical situation that a ceasefire in Israel is our business, as I

said earlier, resolutions need to be based on facts, not misinformation and disinformation,

not general language that promotes misunderstanding and not on omissions, including the fact that

Hamas has publicly stated it does not want to cease fire, that they will continue to attack

Israel again and again.

I ask you to reject this resolution.

I question the mayor's suggestion that this resolution will resolve anything.

It will not let the city of Sacramento return the focus to improving what we do have control

over Sacramento.

Thank you for listening to me.

David off.

Bar-Yohay.

Then Norhares.

Then Drew Gibson.

Then Kevin Bolts.

Good evening and thank you very much.

I'm Bar-Yohay David off.

A resident of Sacramento, County, actually living in Carmichael, was for 35 years, the manager

at State Government and proud to serve this community.

I implore to reject this resolution.

I do have a tribe, family in Israel, some of them in France, some of them outside, all

impacted.

I realized the pain, suffering of both sides.

But we did have a ceasefire at October 7.

And before that too, many times was violated.

I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, if you pass this resolution tonight, in two years,

we will be back here to pass another resolution for ceasefire.

This is not fight against Palestinian.

I am proud to you, proud Israeli, and proud American, and for peace, for two state solutions.

I fight for that.

However, this is a fight against Hamas.

Has been considered, not a considered declared terrorist organization by Canada, Australia,

But we'd be ceasefire in ten minutes if Hamas puts his arms and hands the power to Palestinian

authority.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, through your comments.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Nora?

And Nora is the next speaker.

Nora Harris, then Drew Gibson, then Kevin Boltz.

Okay.

Hello, it's me.

Thank you, Lord.

So, hi, first of all.

So I just want to start by that, before we start, actually in ten minutes, there will

be a breaking fast here for a lot of people that have been starving all day today.

So would you guys just allow, at least for some sandwiches to be here?

They were in fasting since early morning.

I don't know that we're prepared.

Okay.

Can you just set that?

There was just a note from everybody because they wanted to say it.

We do the best we can here.

They're been fasting all day.

Okay, Nora, please start.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

So, can you just set that?

Please, thank you.

We said, two full two minutes for Nora.

Yes, please.

Thank you.

So, the mayor of Sacramento has made a self-serving unitary actually decision without including

diverse voices from the Palestinian and the Jewish community.

And instead, he lied actually on his conversation with certain groups of organizations here

that does not represent the whole community.

The language actually and the digital humanization contained in this resolution makes us really

think where the mayor is standing really and who is he electing.

We reject the abuse of power and the manipulation that's mentioned there.

It is clear that the community at large, that the community at large want a resolution

that will serve and bring justice to over 30,000 people that who have died and also the

displacing almost two million people.

And we refuse to sign a resolution that mentions the Holocaust.

I'm talking to you because honestly, you refused to mention the Holocaust without mentioning

actually that genocide in that one.

There is a genocide going on right now in Gaza.

You refused to mention that in that resolution which is really annoying to be honest with

you.

And also where there's one more thing too.

You actually, we refused to sign a resolution that also actually mentioned, and it's not

mentioned there, displacing of almost two million people.

And we refused actually, Hamas is never been the reason behind this conflict.

Hamas is the outcome of this conflict.

That's what Hamas told.

The numbers have been killed and Gaza have risen actually and you know that and everybody

knows that to almost over 30,000 people.

There's actually also, there's no mentioning of all the schools being destroyed, all the

churches being destroyed, all the mosque in this place.

This resolution have to be easy and simple.

Those who actually just sending AIDS release, civilians release actually.

The hostages really, this is the only three lines, sending AIDS.

We don't have to go through all this because there's not sure right now what we are standing

for.

But we love our Jewish brothers and sisters.

We stand by them.

We stand by them.

If you're comments, your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Drew Gibson.

Your time is complete.

No, one last thing.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters is attack on all of us.

You know that.

We say thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I've been bold.

There's a lot of sorely uninformed people here tonight but this is going to focus on you,

Darryl.

Morally vacant press conferences with the cherry-picked audience and feeble, respect-chasing

quips on how you dream of being called merimeritus won't save the bankruptcy of your politics.

I want to obscure the way you place your desperate need for quaint respectability and positive

media perception above a brutal genocide against the families of your constituents.

Sacramento, the capital, the fourth largest economy in the world, stands for what exactly

if it does not accept openly committed genocide within its purview.

Who are you and your colleagues to stand in the global arena of influence and economy

and shirk responsibility?

Do we not all understand the word leader to imply leading?

Darryl, for months you have barred Palestinians in the community, the ones without money,

influence, or your desired temperament in the face of the systemic murder of their people

and having a say in this issue.

Now you rush through a resolution that side steps their needs.

Lisa, who I thought was off somewhere, soaking in her incidents but seems to have made

her way back, has made unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism affected Palestinians and

community members while choosing to ignore the hateful rhetoric of no neo-Nazi Ryan

Misono sitting in the yellow shirt.

He was unfortunately here again.

Darryl, you speak of commonality and suffering with zero empathy, so I ask where do your intentions

actually lie?

I hope for the sake of my love for the city and its people that Palestinians and Palestine

never learn of what you've brought to official review that they never have to understand

how Sacramento leadership has failed them.

You condemn anti-democratic behavior than force a vote with the quarter of the council

representation not present.

Can I ask which dictionary you use?

If you wanted a fair vote, you would wait for my event to return.

You would wait for the entire constituency of district two to have representation.

If you cared for democracy, you would table this vote.

But clearly doing the democratic thing is difficult for you considering how you just tried

to start this meeting while everyone is still waiting outside.

The echo chamber and wish you wander will do you know favors.

The choice is you may and will be.

I'm as complete.

Our next speaker is Kevin Bolts.

Mr. Bolts.

I want to start off by saying if someone's liberation bothers you, then you likely benefit

from their oppression.

Also, there are no two sides of this conflict.

There is one side experiencing genocide and a side who shouldn't be here.

By definition, a human shield deters attacks from an enemy combatant and since Israel targets

every single civilian in Gaza, there are no human shields in Gaza.

Israel is currently occupying Palestine, Syria, and internationally recognized Lebanon.

According to the Geneva Convention and multiple international charters, they have no right

to self-defense or safety.

According to a 2004 opinion by the Hague in the ICJ, Israel cannot invoke the right to

self-defense when responding to attacks from occupied territory.

We're talking about an entity who's official policy is to kill its own civilians under

the handle of doctrine, lest they be traded for Palestinian hostages.

This excuse of a resolution reflects none of these international laws, none of the first

hand accounts from NGOs, and none of the rulings.

It comes completely from a place of 40 beheaded babies, terrorists named after days of the

week, and tunnels under hospitals, none of which were true.

It demonizes a defense group called Hamas who was not a terrorist organization according

to the United Nations and who never killed an Israeli civilian before someone walked into

a mosque in 1994 and committed the ebrahimi massacre, starting the cycle of violence between

Hamas and Israel.

He was an Israel settler from New York dressed as an IDS soldier by the way.

No one behind me who's brought up hostages cares about the 9,100 of Palestinians in prison.

Cares about the 3,600 in detention without charges.

They only care about the people who were kidnapped on October 7th.

The people killed by Israeli tanks.

The people killed by Israeli helicopters.

The actual death toll of Israelis has not been adjusted to reflect friendly fire in this.

You need to table it till my-

Dear comments, our next speaker is Jalen.

Palestinian Ahmad, Alexander B. and Savannah.

Jalen.

I don't usually come up here because I don't like being redundant, but I just wanted to

reiterate some things that some of my colleagues have said.

And I find it kind of odd that you-

That you know this decision has been made to bring such an important resolution without

any discussion of amendments like that just went out the door.

And that's really disrespectful in that you claim to have representation from both sides.

The Palestinians-

I'm a Palestinian.

I mean, I understand some of my colleagues in the community have come together and negotiated.

But again, that doesn't represent everyone.

And if there is a draft, that draft should be able to be on the table for a discussion about

amendments.

It doesn't look like that's possible because there are two council members that are out.

So I think like it's fair to table such a thing for a time where there's full council

representation.

Thank you.

Then Alexander B. then Savannah.

Palestine.

Alexander B.

Savannah.

It's Palestine here.

That was the gentleman there.

He just spoke.

Hold on.

Hold on.

Who's next, please?

Who's next, please?

So Jay-Lan.

Did Jay-Lan speak?

Jay-Lan.

Jay-Lan.

Palestine.

Then Alexander B. then Savannah.

Palestine.

Thank you.

Palestine spoke already.

I'm Jay-Lan.

Okay.

As of now, more than 30,000 people have been murdered by Israel since October, one million

face famine of the worst kind.

Children are literally starving to death and we are facing perhaps the greatest humanitarian

catastrophe of our time.

It takes an astounding level of cognitive dissidents to be more concerned about public

disruptions than you are about our government funding and ongoing genocide.

The fact is, the mayor is right in one regard.

No city's resolution will solve the crisis in Gaza, but in the same way that we are all

collectively responsible for the crimes against humanity currently going on in Gaza, we all

have a role to play in stopping the atrocity from continuing.

And we all have a responsibility to change the narrative to ensure that such inhuman deeds,

fueled by systemic dehumanization will never again pollute our world.

A ceasefire resolution condemning October 7th as a quote unquote terrorist massacre,

but continues to frame Israel's calculated slaughter of tens of thousands of civilians

as an unfortunate, but still potentially legitimate military operation is not a resolution

of justice.

A resolution that demands the existence of an apartheid state is not a resolution of

justice.

A resolution that weaponizes the true and real evil of the Holocaust in order to justify

the further oppression of the Palestinian people is not a resolution of justice.

You cannot continue to further accept and rationalize and continue with the rationalization

of this injustice.

And in fact, I'm going to be honest with you all, we need to table this right now.

It's crazy that two council members are not here to potentially have an amendment for

this resolution.

I do not think that is a coincidence whatsoever.

I do think they go down to the fact that I don't believe you all just suddenly had a

heart.

I think you all see the tides shifting and that soon there will be a free Palestine from the

rivers.

I'd like to start off by reminding everybody of the UNGA resolution 37-43, which reaffirmed

the UNGA resolution.

This is quite the circus that you put on here.

honored to all the martyrs, men, women, children, freedom fighters, journalists, poets,

long lived the Antifada, free Palestine.

I'm giving as much room as I can continue to shout and we will recess and we will have

to clear the chambers.

Please do not.

Go ahead.

Please, you're up next.

My name is Savannah Sanchez and I serve four years active duty in the United States Marine

Corps.

Lisa, you are my council member.

Darryl, I have watched you utterly disrespect the Palestinian community and you, Lisa, utterly

disrespect the Palestinian community time and time and time again and now for PR stunts,

you want to act like you have the Palestinian community on one side and the Jewish community

on the other.

Oh yeah, you're shaking your head like yes you do.

He does.

He does.

That's a fucking problem because this resolution is trash.

It is horrible.

It needs to be tabled.

It is unjust.

It should not be accepted.

It is dehumanizing and it is racist and it's Zionist propaganda and you come over here.

You act like you're doing them a favor.

When you back them in a corner and you tell them this is all you fucking get, this is a

ceasefire resolution you get.

You have no choice but to take this crap.

It's disrespectful.

It's so obvious what you're doing here.

You have all these cameras for a purpose to make yourself look good and it's so obvious.

Table this resolution.

Wait till Maygang who proposed a good resolution, not even a good resolution, an acceptable resolution

with the Palestinian community who backed it, with Katie who backed it.

Table this one now except the amendments and vote on it when May is here.

There is Maracena Badia, then Rachel Wilkinson, then Dylan Lee, Maracena, Maracena Badia,

Rachel Wilkinson, Dylan Lee, Kenan Musa, Maracena.

Okay.

All right.

Permanence this far is not an act of heroism or humane on behalf of this hypocritical, political

body in this room.

and starvation of the Palestinian people does not address the root cause of the problem.

The resolution diminishes and ignores the struggles, the native Jewish, Christian and Muslim

Palestinians have had to endure for decades.

The resolution must be amended to show the responsibility of the ongoing brutal occupation

leading up to the events of October 7th.

I support a permanent ceasefire and I support the unconditional aid to the Palestinian people

while I also demand a complete retreat of the occupational laying down of the arms.

I demand the occupation ends and for it to have no control environment,

involvement whatsoever in the affairs of what shall be a free Palestine.

I demand the end of the settlements and return of homes and lands of the Palestinian people.

I demand the occupation and its accomplices be held responsible,

including all of you that are opposed to a ceasefire or any respectable resolution.

I demand the occupation as accomplices be held responsible for the atrocities and loss they have caused.

I demand that the restitution be given to all Palestinians that have been displaced

from their lands and homes.

I demand restitution for all Palestinians that have lost their families,

a part of their bodies, their dignity and the right of trauma-free future.

I demand restitution for rebuilding all that has been taken and destroyed by the occupations

in the beginning of the occupation.

I demand the free Palestine and I demand the Sacramento calls for a just, not a victim blaming resolution.

Thank you.

My name is Robert!

Robert!

Robert!

Robert!

Thanks.

Vincent?

Hi, Mayor Steinberg, do you remember me?

First, I'd like to apologize to Rick Jennings for cursing about the Raiders.

As a Muslim, that's unacceptable.

I was just kind of having fun with you as an African-American.

I'm a quarter Black, so that was unacceptable uses.

However, I was angry because Mayor Steinberg, no offense, you are a hypocrite.

I watch you treat people like shit all the time.

Sorry for my language, it's Ramadan.

But then when it comes to having a media like opportunity,

you're all happy and stuff.

You were so happy to sit and with the black community

for a black history month.

But wherever you listen in when they came in here

for the core act, you weren't.

You were ignoring us.

Just right now, you turned away when Ryan was speaking.

But last time, you were nodding your head in agreement

when he was quoting the Talmud about killing the dirty Jews.

You were.

You were.

It's on film on my phone.

To address the people talking about hostages,

because I'm done talking to you.

They are Steinberg.

I'm Stari.

And Kaplan, I'm glad your hair is no longer green.

If you need to cause metologists, I have a license.

The hostages?

The hostages?

That Hamas has had?

There's literally videos of them like laughing with Hamas.

Videos of them flirting with Hamas.

They come back and tell people that the real threat to them

was Israel.

Israel is bombing their own people.

It's documented.

Israel breaks their own laws all the time.

Everyone who is supporting Israel,

Chinese state neutral, is literally just uneducated

because what is happening is genocide.

It has been genocide since October 6th.

It's disgusting that we've had to sit here in Begg

for six months now.

It's almost six months.

We're starving to death.

Our people are starving to death.

This resolution's not going to do anything.

I fully agree with some people.

The ceasefire's not going to do anything.

You should be ashamed of yourself, Mary Steinberg.

That's all I have to say.

Back to you.

Hello, City Council.

I come forth as a descendant of Armenian Genocide

survivors.

Some of my ancestors actually sought refuge in Jerusalem

and were welcomed with open arms when they were not

demanding that they have their own state and claim to the land

and didn't try to take over all the land.

And that is exactly what brings me here today.

Mayor, you and your others in this room

claim that Sacramento has no purview over conflicts

thousands of miles away.

This statement reflects a deeper lack of understanding

of how world systems work and is an insight into your own

ignorance.

This city has annual state and federal platform

for advocacy, which you can use.

And it shows that we do have purview over this issue.

Sacramento, the capital of one of the biggest economies

in the world absolutely has purview over this issue.

Council, I am in support of this resolution only and only

if it is tabled until all of the council members are here

and proper edits are made.

The root cause of this issue is the settler colonial state.

And that is Israel.

That is at the core of this issue.

That is what you claim to be trying to address

with this resolution.

But the language does not reflect that in this resolution.

There is no such thing as peace on stolen land.

The specific statements that I believe need to be reviewed

or modified are starting with number three,

since it is factually incorrect and intentionally misleading

as less than 150 hostages remain in Gaza,

not hundreds as the resolution claims.

Number five must be amended as it suggests

that the indigenous peoples of Palestine do not deserve to live

or have access to the lands that the settler colonial state

has stolen from them.

While simultaneously legitimizing the settler colonial entity

of Israel by claiming that a two state solution is needed.

Number six needs to be removed,

that is as it is inaccurate and misleading,

less than 900 civilians were killed on October 7th,

some of whom were killed by the Israeli military.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Tanan.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Tanan.

Tanan.

Yeah.

Okay, greetings, everyone.

I'm mostly going to be echoing what was said.

Well, most of what needs to be said has been said already.

But as we all know, the events that transpired on October 7th

didn't happen inside of a vacuum.

The subjugation, occupation, or oppression

has been ongoing for over 75 years.

Israel in the last five months has committed

every war crime possible from human trafficking

to Orban organ theft of the deceased.

Prior to that, they have divided every single agreement

that they've made and attempts to convey peace.

It was merely a facade in order to do so

to the Palestinian people so that they can continue their division.

Legal settlements continue to be constructed to divide Palestinian lands

to segregate and isolate the people from one another,

walls built through neighborhoods to divide individual communities.

So this is nothing new.

You know, and it's still taking place.

It was taking place before this, before what happened on October 7th.

If there is really stop fighting, there will be peace.

If the Palestinians stop fighting, there will be no more Palestinians.

The very atrocities that Israel has accused the world of committing

are the very ones they commit themselves by stating their fears

that they really only reveal their intentions.

The issue with the language of the resolution

is that it attempts to give merit to the claim of an oppressor

while negating the plight of the people who are on the receiving side of that oppression.

I asked that the ceasefire be written in a way that conveys both solidarity

with the Palestinian people, but not enable or moralize apartheid regime

by somehow claiming that liberation and apartheid are the same thing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

El.

David Mandel.

Henry Harry Wang.

Salem Amar.

Seiko Gonzalez.

David Mandel.

Okay.

I'll call a few more.

David Mandel, Harry Wang, Salem Amar, Ziko Gonzalez, Grant Raven, Ryan B.

Not at all.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is David Mandel, District 4.

I've been a longtime Sacramento and long active with a group called Jewish Voice for Peace,

which has been prominently leading together with our Palestinian and many other partners

to struggle for a ceasefire since October, and long before that, struggling for Palestinian human rights.

70 some other cities have passed ceasefire resolutions, including nearby ones in California,

Richmond, San Francisco, Oakland, and, oh, my last name is other glasses, nevermind.

I can read it.

And the City of Davis.

None of them were perfect, none of them were ideal, but all of them were resolutions that I

could gladly support because they called for three important elements and didn't mess it

up with extraneous propaganda.

They called for media ceasefire, media permanent ceasefire.

And they were, to enable, which is the only thing that would enable the massive amounts

that humanitarian aid that are needed to bring about the, to, to stave off the disaster and for the release of hostages.

The resolution being considered now contains those things, and it also contains one other really important thing,

recognitions of something that most of people in this room who are not Palestinian probably weren't even aware of.

The thousands of Palestinians who are held sometimes for years without charge or without being put on trial.

That's a start toward releasing many more thousands of Palestinian prisoners.

The Palestinians and Muslims who are arguing in favor and against this resolution are united in criticizing it for perpetuating a false idea of anti-Semitism that says that

and that, and that criticizing Israel is considered anti-Semitism.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Henry, Harry Wang.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Harry, following Harry is Salam?

My name is Harry Wang.

I'm the president of the Sacramento chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Mayor Steinberg and council members, thank you for your opportunity to speak tonight.

Our membership along with an additional 100-area healthcare professionals support an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Although we have quite a bit of difficulty with the language of the resolution that does not speak to the catastrophic impact of the NAPCA or about the impact of the brutal occupation.

But having said that, we do support the resolution.

But more importantly than representing my organization, I come here as a human being and as a taxpayer.

A human being that wants to value every life in our country and around the world.

And a taxpayer that doesn't want to provide the arms being used to kill all the people, 3000 people in Gaza.

Or a $14 billion that's being requested to fund the war.

A few weeks ago, I met and heard Stockton on College of Stockton, UCF, KELFA, give several talks in the area.

He was interviewed by Vicki Gonzalez on the March 11 inside program.

I encourage you to listen to that program.

And there were several things that stood out that I'd like to report back.

First, he was astonished to see hundreds, hundreds of aid trucks at the Rafa Egypt border.

They were just stuck. Nothing was getting in.

Second, there were tens of thousands of civilian seeking shelter in and around European hospital in Con Unis.

And third, even though over 340 healthcare workers have been killed, he worked with a team he brought to the United States.

Despite all the bombing that was going on in and around the hospital, please support the C-Sphere.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Salem.

The Hegel.

Please proceed.

When I started this, good afternoon.

My name is Chico Gonzalez, I'm an artist, educator, and poet, and also an organizer.

Over the past 5 months, I've been creating artwork and organizing solidarity events.

It's about Palestinians in Gaza and the Palestinian diaspora.

Our solidarity efforts have been to announce a death and destruction that Israel is inflicted upon the Palestinian population in Gaza.

My community has a long history of supporting the Palestinian struggle for liberation and self-determination.

Many of my community feel that the current resolution lacks the proper language that affirms the dignity and humanity of the Palestinian people.

Especially those who are blood-based but still in Palestinian land by Israel and their occupy enforces.

The current resolution reads more like a rough rough than a final resolution ready for voting.

No, no, no!

Language is important.

I know that firsthand because English is my second language.

I urge this council to please listen to the concerns of our Palestinian, Muslim, and Arab brothers and sisters that want their dignity and their humanity be reflected in the resolution that Mayor Steinberg has put forth.

I want to talk to my homie Eddie Guerra, Katie Valenzuela and Karina Talamantes as members of the Chicano community that were made foreigners in their own land back in 1848.

I hear before the US stole by force this land that we know as California.

That is exactly what is happening to Palestinians in Gaza since 1948.

So we want to call upon you our brothers and sisters in this council to stand with our brothers and sisters from Palestine.

We want Palestinian freedom, Gonzáfos.

We want Palestinian freedom, we want Palestinian freedom, we want Palestinian freedom.

Next speaker.

Hailam Grant and then Ryan B.

Mayor Steinberg, members of the City Council, I urge you to not pass this resolution.

As admitted by its own preamble, it will have no impact on any events happening in Israel or the Gaza Strip.

So what is the point of passing a resolution thousands of miles away?

The mayor has answered this question.

The unruly radical protesters who have been annoying him and the City Council since a mosque killed over 1,000 innocent people in cold blood.

To stop their protests, just pass the resolution to appease them.

This is a terrible reason to pass a resolution.

As an extreme example, with the City Council pass a resolution calling for the segregation of minorities.

If the Ku Klux Klan began disrupting these meetings, of course it would not.

The other big reason that Mayor Steinberg points out to is that it will bring together the Sacramento community.

We all know that this is an equally bad reason for passing it.

Almost no one from the Jewish community supports this resolution.

Sure, you can always find extremists.

But of the hundreds of Jews in Israelis that I am friends with in Sacramento, I don't know a single one who supports this resolution.

So why is the resolution so opposed by the Jewish community and so much in favor by those claiming to support Palestine?

It's obvious because the resolution is one sided, makes a series of false equivalencies between Israel, a democratic multicultural nation,

where Jews, Arabs, Christians and Jews live in peace, and Hamas, a masochistic, misogynistic, racist and hate-filled terrorist organization.

It's unsubstantial if not fake figures of civilian casualties and pushes the false narrative that the issue at hand is a two-state resolution, which Hamas has disavowed.

Us Jews and Israelis who have been living with the issues facing Israel know what is really going on here.

Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.

You made your point.

People and gods, I have elected for 15 years.

You made them important.

Sit down.

Sit down.

All right, stop.

All right.

Members.

Hold on.

Hold on.

Hold on.

I'm going to try one more time.

Hold on.

But I have one more time to calm this down.

Keep going.

Keep going.

Next speaker.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Go.

Thank you, City Council, for having me here today.

My name is Ryan, and I don't feel comfortable sharing my last name in this forum.

I don't feel comfortable because if you look me up, there's only one of me in this world, and you will see my family's address, not even my own.

And I don't want them targeted.

I don't want to say what affiliations I'm involved with, because when you look me up, you can see them, and I don't want them to be targeted.

But I stand here in pain.

Shh.

I'm a proud Jew.

I believe in the existence of the state of Israel.

I also believe there should be a Palestinian state.

I believe that people should have a place of their own, a home.

I am alarmed at the high degree of anti-Semitism that has arisen in this country that has been here in this chamber today.

In my 30 years of life, I've spent 27 years here in Sacramento.

I remember when my synagogue used to be open, without an iron rod fence protecting, providing protection.

I remember a world before the fire bombings at the turn of the century were engaging Jewishly, did not require a security presence,

and I can state without any hesitancy and with much sorrow that that world does not exist today.

Most, if not all Jewish spaces have had to increase their security after October 7th, I am unaware of any place that has reduced those security expenses since.

That money to support security is money that could have been spent and should have been spent on programming and on community good.

The cost of keeping Jews safe falls on Jews alone.

And so I asked this council as you are considering this, is Sacramento a safe place for Jews?

Thank you, Ryan.

I want that to be the case, but hearing what's happening tonight, I am alarmed at the direction we are heading, and I urge you to please vote no.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

Next speaker.

Okay.

Mayor, point of order.

Yes.

We have given the crowd multiple warnings.

If speakers cannot be heard, we will do a recess.

All right, we are going to take a 10 minute recess.

No, no.

And here is, hold on.

I'm a health care worker, and I pay taxes here, so I'm going to speak.

So it's a timer.

I'm sorry.

That's a timer.

That's not the way that it works.

I'm sorry.

I am a health care worker.

We are going to take a 10 minute recess, and here's the thing.

If the audience calms, and everybody, and you want to hear everybody else speaking, then you will no longer shout out.

If you shout out the next time, and prevent others from speaking, we will clear the chambers, because a lot of people have in fact been heard.

And then we will deliberate this, and we will take a vote tonight.

It will be your choice when we get back in 10 minutes.

10 minute recess.

10 minutes recess.

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10 minutes recess.

30 seconds.

Staff please put 30 seconds on the clock

and restart our video stream.

We're back from a brief recess.

Next speaker please.

I stand before you as a nurse and a mother and a taxpayer.

I keep hearing Sacramento doesn't have anything to do with this conflict, but we the people of Sacramento are the ones who have to go to work every day while our US tax dollars are funding a genocide by the welfare queen that we know as Israel.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports approximately 14,861 children have been murdered by the state of Israel since October 7, 2023.

14,861 children.

What is happening and Gaza is a man-made humanitarian crisis by the state of Israel and the Western imperialist powers that back this regime.

Children are starving and dehydrated. Children are being burnt and dismembered.

Children are being left orphaned with a lifetime of psychological wounds if they even survive.

I'm not here to be politically correct. Children are ours to protect.

These statistics should outrage you. They outrage me as a mother of two girls. They outrage me as a health care worker.

The proposed ceasefire resolution is an insult to these children.

It minimizes Palestinian casualties while inflating those of Israel. It denies Palestinian right of return.

You throw us breadcrumbs and expect us to jump for joy.

The people demand this resolution be tabled until Council Member Maiveng returns.

We demand a one-state solution with equal rights for all citizens, regardless of race or religion.

Let Gaza live free Palestine.

Next speaker is Maya Steinhart.

Maya Steinhart lives Silva, Muna, Abkudar, Amanda Diamond, Jean Demon, Maya.

Good. We can hear you.

Hello. My name is Maya Steinhart and I am an anti-Zionist Jew.

I am severely disappointed in the individuals from the Jewish community who have come up here and spread consistent, hateful rhetoric about the Palestinian community in Sacramento and about anti-Zionist Jews like myself.

There has been categorically no anti-Semitic comments except for the one about Nazi in this chamber.

This resolution seriously needs to be tabled until more consideration can be given for the legitimate concerns about amendments that must be added.

There is one amendment that I would like to point out that has yet to be mentioned.

That is for resolved number three.

Calls upon the Abiden administration to promptly send and facilitate the entry of unrestricted humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strait.

I advocate that we add an amendment that also states and ends sending military aid and materials to Israel.

To ask for more humanitarian aid without the cessation of funding and aiding and abetting the continued military operation, we are speaking out of two sides of our mouth.

Granted, the entire resolution is speaking out of two sides of your mouth.

There was an acceptable resolution presented by Katie Valensuela and Mai Vang.

And Steinberg, you actively prevented it from being put on the agenda.

And now you've gotten this. This is a situation that you have created.

Like others in this chamber, I ask that this resolution be tabled until Mai Vang can return and amendments can be considered.

Forcing a vote tonight is actively undemocratic and goes against everything you have said.

Thank you.

Why do you smirk on your face?

Live, please proceed.

Yes, Maya, love that. Let's do this.

So good evening, council members and manager.

I'm here as an activist for 10 years. I've been an activist, excuse me, for 10 years dedicated to Takoon Alam.

As a Mexican Jewish mother, I am deeply grateful to our Palestinian community for spearheading the efforts to secure a ceasefire resolution in Sacramento.

It fills me with pride to see our city's name align with others who have taken a stand for peace. However, I'm troubled by the current resolution authored by the mayor and the leaders in care.

The Jewish Federation and JCRC. It concerns me that key members of the Palestinian community and Jewish voice for peace were not involved in the drafting process.

We must advocate for a stronger resolution because there are significant flaws in the compromised ceasefire proposals set for a vote today.

In my opinion, it would be prudent to suggest tabling the current resolution and supporting amendments to address its shortcomings.

This approach could allow for a more inclusive and comprehensive resolution that adequately addresses the concerns of all parties involved.

Free Palestine, no my no vote.

Next speaker is Mona.

Speaker is Mona, then Amanda, then Jean Diemann.

I don't think Mona is here. Whoever that person is.

Mona, I see no movement. Amanda, and then Jean.

As the capital of California, we are in a unique position to set precedence for other cities to adopt ceasefire resolutions.

As such, we need to be unwavering and bold in our asks.

We need to be able to set precedence for other cities to adopt ceasefire resolutions.

We need to be able to set precedence for other cities to adopt ceasefire resolutions.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

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This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

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This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

This is a compromise.

Hi, I'm Neelu Farball Archie and I'm here with my sister Hayadaa Pavan Di.

We come here today as concerned citizens driven to take action by the whores we have been witnessing and gaza unfold on our phones.

We've been deeply disturbed by the images coming from gaza, indiscriminate bombing of civilians, children starving, flower massacres, and tick-tock videos of Israeli soldiers.

We've been deeply disturbed by the images coming from gaza, indiscriminate bombing of civilians, children starving, flower massacres, and tick-tock videos of Israeli soldiers making light of their violence and of Palestinian suffering and gaza.

We agree with many others who have come here today to say table this resolution until amendments can be considered and until representative May is here.

We also want to reiterate the core issue today is that Katie and my introduced their own resolution a few weeks ago.

But it was unilaterally kept off the agenda by Mayor Stemberg.

It's from me as an ally member. It's okay, it's okay. The notion that Jews are only safe in the state of Israel exists if the state of Israel exists as an apartheid state with only full rights for Jews is highly problematic.

Are Jewish people not safe here in Sacramento? Conflating the actions of an apartheid state with Judaism is actually one of the major causes of a rise in anti-Semitism.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Jason.

Good evening. My name is Jason Weiner. I'm a resident of District 5 and the current chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

As this resolution was being drafted, the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council did engage in conversations with the Mayor and Council members, with members of our own Jewish community and with advocates for the Palestinian cause.

Nevertheless, after reviewing the final version that is being brought by the City Council, our organizations opposed its passage and we urge the Council not to take this official step.

On a fundamental level, the Sacramento City Council should not be weighing in on foreign policy, foreign wars and international relations issues.

Should this be a raised resolution pass?

That's it. Excuse me Jason. Stop the clock. I'm trying very, very hard. Hey Kevin, you're going to leave.

I'm trying very hard to allow everyone to speak but I am this close now. If you continue to shout out again to recess again in order that the chambers be cleared.

So it's your choice and it'll be on you. And by the way, about 70 people have spoken. A lot of people are going to, I want to hear everybody.

But that's it. Last time we recess, I clear the chambers. Mr. Weiner. Thank you.

So we are deeply disturbed at how advocacy for a local ceasefire resolution has often devolved into chaos at City Council meetings, including name calling, anti-Semitic slurs, late night protests at the homes of our elected Jewish officials and the absence of respect for the democratic process.

We do not believe, however, that approving this resolution will end this behavior as you've heard tonight it may well increase it.

This resolution does acknowledge some important truths that Hamas committed horrific atrocities against Israelis, the terrible rise in Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the acceptance of hate speech in our communities.

The JCRC and Jewish Federation remain ready and willing to engage in dialogue with other local faith and community leaders, including those in the Muslim and Arab community, to build relationships, support our local residents and strengthen our city.

Israel is at war with a terrorist group, not a people. We pray for a quick and lasting peace so that Palestinians and Israelis can all live in peace and security.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Zaynab. I'll read off a few names. Zaynab, Dan Larkins, Mimi Kaplan, Sarah Smith Silverson, Silverman, Emma Jensen.

So please line up in the middle. Zaynab, Dan Larkins, Mimi Kaplan, Sarah Smith Silverman, Emma Jensen, Sam Epler.

And please let me know your name when you begin. Go ahead and get started and then I can turn it on.

That will be upside down. Turn it around.

Thanks.

And your name?

Dan Larkins.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

This boy named Adam was shot in the head in the West Bank by an Israeli soldier with a scoped rifle at the distance between me and you.

Can you imagine shooting a kid like this? You would have to dehumanize the children you're told to kill.

What this genocide has taught me is that I don't believe in foreign affairs anymore.

Borders are literally imagined by those in power to keep themselves in power and keep working people separated.

What Tom Jode says in the graves of Rath is true. A fella ain't got a soul of his own just a little piece of a big soul.

The one big soul that belongs to everybody.

What a ceasefire means is stop the killing.

No ceasefire means killing is needed and it works.

Bombing hospitals works.

Taking women's underwear from the homes you invade that works.

Snipping people seeking refuge at a church that works.

Killing crowds at a concert works.

Running people over with a tank works.

Killing people at a ratio to 40 to one is not self-defense.

How can that be called self-defense?

It's not war. It's not justified is genocide.

Starving people in a place where you haven't let them leave is not war.

Can you imagine feeding your children grass?

Can you imagine feeding them dirt?

Animal feed?

What this genocide has taught me is there's a resistance growing.

One that is going to fight for racial justice, environmental justice, rights for the disabled, trans rights, and an end to white supremacy.

This community is getting bigger.

We're getting smarter and it's not going anywhere.

Please review the amendments.

Please have the courage to stand up for just.

Give your comments. Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comments. Your time is complete.

Next speaker please.

And your name?

Mimi Kaplan.

Thank you.

I am proud to be here with JVP.

I want to thank our Palestinian community for leading the effort to get a ceasefire resolution passed in this city.

I am proud to add our city's name to the list of those who have.

I want to thank Katie Valenzuela and my Vang for the original language they partnered with Palestinian leadership to develop and offer.

The moral clarity and factual accuracy of that statement was impressive and noteworthy.

The language of this resolution is inaccurate.

There are over 100 not hundreds held captive.

The number killed in Gaza has risen to over 30,000 since the language was written.

The language of this resolution is weak and does not recognize the political realities of genocide, apartheid, and occupation that are the context of this violence.

The language of this resolution is anti-Semitic as it furthers the conflation of Jews with the state of Israel, which is specifically harmful and dangerous to Jewish people.

The process of getting this resolution agendas has been very disappointing.

Mayor Steinberg delayed agendasing this resolution for months.

He structured public comment to hear more from the Zionist Jewish community when the Palestinian and anti-Zionist Jewish community far outnumbered them.

He also held Jewish voice for peace and contingents of the Palestinian community out of conversations about language of this resolution.

We are deeply disappointed in his lack of leadership.

Please table this resolution.

If this pass is unamended, may it be that all anyone will remember today's from now is a headline saying Sacramento says ceasefire now.

Free Palestine, no mind no vote.

Next speaker, and your name?

There is some silver.

I am here as a member of the Jewish community, a member of Jewish voice for peace, a mother, and a professor of history.

I am here to say I support a ceasefire resolution. It is far past five months in that Sacramento take a stand.

The ceasefire resolution is the least we can do.

In fact, it could and should go farther.

We need to be clear in our condemnation of Israel's genocide and recognize that there is no equivalency between Israel, a colonizing power, and Palestinians and occupied people.

If we truly want an immediate ceasefire, we should be calling on Israel to stop killing Palestinians immediately and without condition.

You don't put conditions on ending a genocide.

The resolution should implicate the US, which using our tax dollars ascending the bombs that are raining down on Palestinians.

It could make clear that Israel is using starvation as a tool of genocide by blocking food aid.

It could make clear that Israel is cynically using the grief of Jewish people to further displace Palestinians, which it has been doing since its founding.

And the explicitly Zionist language should be taken out.

Jews existed before Israel, and we will exist after Israel.

Jewish identity and safety is not intrinsically connected to Israel, and it's offensive to say so.

My safety will never be premised on the occupation, displacement, and mass murder of Palestinian people.

As Jews, when we see genocide occurring in our name, we should be saying loudly and clearly that never again means never again for anyone.

In fact, it should be made clear that the Jewish Federation does not represent the Jewish community.

In its support for the slaughter of over 13,000 innocent Palestinian children, it has proven that it has no moral authority.

I support a ceasefire, no may, no vote.

And I apologize that I lost my voice.

Let's see if I can do this.

I'm sure everyone here has seen western movies.

Do you remember westerns?

Either we watched them, or we were younger, or dads, or uncles, or moms.

Do you remember in western movies how the Indians, the Native Americans, were always the bad guys?

You remember playing cowboys in Indians, and you're a kid.

The Indians were always the bad guys.

We were learning about Thanksgiving in elementary school how pilgrims and Indians came together and had dinner together,

and then the Indians decided that they didn't like the pilgrims anymore and waged war.

I understand this so clearly, not just because I am a Jew, but because I'm an American.

Of course Israel is our little brother. They are following our lead.

We grew up and learned the truth, and it is a hard, painful truth to learn.

Because in my generation, in the generation before mine, and the one after mine, we grew up being told that everyone wanted to kill us.

We grew up with pictures of Holocaust victims, piled actual photographs in children's books for seven-year-olds.

We were primed for this moment to defend exactly what we grew up thinking was the right thing.

Israel needs anti-Semitism in the diaspora in order to defend its occupation and its colonial project.

The only way you can say that this is the only place for safe for Jews is when they hate us everywhere else.

Please table this for next meeting when Maya is here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

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Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We will open up a wide world for you.

That's a really good idea.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Some might argue that the CCFive resolution is not for local

governments, but I would say it's the responsibility of all

to consider human rights.

Do not let Sacramento stand on the bloody side of U.S. history.

Now is the time to make a change and call for what is right.

No, my, no vote, and free Palestine.

If you are coming.

I'm going to reread a few names, but preservatives go

Zaynap, Genevieve Kohlar, Liv Silva.

Okay, please line up in the aisle.

I'll read a few more.

Randy Polak, Hiko Noriz, Jason G, Danielle,

Murad or Mo, Sarma, Gabe Ayala,

and then just let me know your name when you come up.

Please proceed and just let me know your name

when I come up so that I can remove your slip.

Hi, my name is Genevieve Kohlar.

I'm a district seven resident with council member Jennings.

My grandmother and my great grandparents are Holocaust survivors.

And my grandmother is my favorite person in the world.

She has cried every single day since October 7th

for the people of Palestine.

She knows that the Holocaust ended.

And that's why we're here.

And that's why reparations have been given.

That's why tribunals have been held worldwide.

It's why there's been more justice for our genocide than any other genocide

that has happened to any other diaspora because it's happened to everyone.

My grandmother says that she is not a victim.

And the narrative of Jewish victimization that is in this resolution

is incredibly insulting to the Jewish community and reflects the fact

that Mayor Steinberg only consulted with his buddies at the federation

and people from the Arab and Muslim community

that he knew he could push around after six months

of failing to pass a ceasefire resolution.

My grandmother says that she is not a victim.

My great grandparents rejected reparations from the country of Austria

because they said we are not victims and we will not take money

from the people who invited Hitler in to come kill us.

In the same time, my grandmother says,

I will not claim a victim narrative for myself as a Holocaust survivor

because I meet any person in the United States

and I know that they have a similar story.

Whether they are indigenous, whether they are African-American,

whether they are Vietnamese,

and especially whether they're Palestinian.

Because while the Holocaust ended in 1948,

that's when their genocide began.

There is no liberation without a free Palestine.

There is no democracy without actually consulting the community

that you represent.

And without my vein here, we need to table the resolution.

Free PPR comments, your time is complete.

Our next speaker, please.

And your name?

Jason?

Thank you.

Yeah, District 4.

I'm going to focus as best as I can.

I've had to pee for the last three hours,

due to the ridiculous set of rules that you've subjected us all to here.

Anyways, I support a ceasefire resolution,

but this resolution in its current form promotes a false equivalency

and lessons Israel's culpability in war crimes

with false statistics and omitted context.

This resolution obscures the disproportionality of violence,

which is overwhelmingly at the hands of Israel.

For example, the number of Palestinians murdered

is undervalued in the resolution,

while the number of Israelis murdered

is overvalued in the resolution.

Funny how that is.

This resolution makes no mention of Israel's deliberate bombing of hospitals,

churches, mosques, or the displacement of two million gauzens.

It makes no mention of the fact that 2023 was the deadliest year on record

for children in the West Bank,

according to a Save the Children report on September 18, 2023.

It makes no mention of Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians

by means of starvation.

Funny how that is.

I also find it troubling that this resolution is finally being presented

on the week that the greatest ally that the pro-cease fire movement here in Sacramento

has on this council is on vacation.

Funny how that is.

The community should be given the opportunity to amend this resolution

while my vein is present in the city council chambers.

If this resolution is pushed through without the community being given a chance

to make amendments, it will reveal how much of a sham this democratic process really is.

I urge you to table this resolution until councilwoman my vein returns.

No, my, no vote.

Free Palestine.

Next speaker please.

Next speaker please and let me know your name.

Danielle, thank you.

So as we all know, we are way long overdue for a ceasefire.

This resolution that was performatively put before us is not it.

I find it also very telling and very obvious what is going on here when you choose

to hold this city council meeting for this resolution when my vein is not here.

You don't have to shake your head at me.

We all see it.

We all see it.

And you allow for a vote to happen when she's not here, but the one person who is consistently

tweeted out is Lama Fobic false disproven lies and has also made Palestinian families

at a kite flying event feel unwelcome gets to stay here and vote on this.

This resolution needs amendments made and it needs to be tabled until my can be here.

And for everybody who say in Sacramento has no place in foreign affairs, this is not

a foreign affair.

This is humanity.

My money.

My money is going to murdering children based on lies, based on racism.

This is not about anything other than an ethnic cleansing for a continued plan grab.

And everybody is seeing that.

We are all learning more and more history every day.

You just keep shaking your head in the most disrespectful way.

Again to echo what everybody is saying, no my, no vote.

And you're going to continue to allow other council members to go on their Twitter and say

inflammatory devices, things.

I'm just going to sit here and let my time run out because you have wasted my time so

much.

No, my, no vote.

Free power stuff.

Next speaker please.

Next speaker please.

Can you name?

Mr. Mayor, members of the council.

My name is Randy Pollock.

I am president of the Mosaic Law of Congregation.

I'm here in opposition to this resolution.

Many of us in the Jewish community and also the Palestinian have had injuries, loss of

life to many of our friends and family members in Israel and Gaza.

However, what does the resolution does not acknowledge who is to blame for this?

Hamas.

A terrorist organization.

A mass attack, Israel.

On October 7th, committing atrocities, killing babies, killing children.

And what do they do?

They hide in hospitals.

They hide in schools.

They hide in homes.

Behind civilians.

Also, I think what's very important here, that one thing that this council has not consider

over the past several months, that there are Americans still held hostage in Gaza by

Hamas.

And I think it's important today to read their names.

And their names are, eight on Alexander, eight on Chen, Zagud Dekalchen, Omar Nutra,

Hirst Goldberg, Paulin and Keith Siegel.

I'd like to read the resident 130 other hostages who have been there for 165 days.

Hamas has repeatedly denied allegations of atrocities on October 7th.

There's also denied the atrocities of the hostages that are being held.

Their subject is sexual, attacks and violence.

It has been in the media the last week.

As it has been said before, a ceasefire is not a call for peace.

But instead provides an opportunity for Hamas to gather strengths to attack Israel, which

they have repeatedly said we will do thousand times again.

I urge the city council to put this aside and actually concentrate on what really matters

to the city of Sacramento.

Thank you.

Next speaker.

And your name?

Moe Sarama.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

All right.

Good evening, Mayor Steinberg.

Council members.

As a member of the second member of the council, I would like to thank you for your

support.

Good evening, Mayor Steinberg, council members.

As a member of the Sacramento County Democratic Central Committee, we have learned how to

work together to strengthen our community, even on controversial issues.

That's why we were able to best resolution calling for a ceasefire unanimously.

As we took our strength and unity while not accepting mass murder and starvation of women

and children.

Mayor Steinberg, I could agree more with you when you wrote a saccharine of the abed in May

of 2021.

And I quote, the settlers who shout death to Arabs cannot be of the same faith that taught

me that our people were once this ranger.

The right wing is Israeli government whose official policies encourage massive settlers

beyond the 1948 boundaries of Israel conscript millions of Palestinians in free of status is

not a government, a government I can't respect.

I cannot be selective in condemning avert discrimination and prejudice.

Mayor Steinberg added in that same abed, I write not expecting that the wars of one Jewish

American mayor will change much.

Now we live in a wonderful diverse community here in Sacramento.

We have built many bridges among our Jewish and Muslim neighbors.

We have held each other during times of tragedy and hardship.

We must speak truth.

If for no other reason than those friendships on those bridges matter.

These wars of Mayor Steinberg in 2021 were there, there wasn't an infar bin Gavir, the

minister of the national security of the current government.

I want to end with another quote from the mayor's article, change is never impossible.

Our common and hopeful faith are abed.

If your comments, your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Hiko Norris, your time is complete.

Hiko Norris, Gabiayala, Yasar Debor and Sara Dudley.

I'm not Hiko Norris, I don't know if that guy was supposed to be after me.

Your name please?

Gabiayala.

Thank you, please proceed.

Okay, I didn't really prepare anything, I didn't even feel like speaking, but since

people continue to regurgitate the same lies, I feel obligated to.

So many people over here will claim that there was a ceasefire prior to October 7th, so let

me read a couple things to you.

July 2023 becomes the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank.

As of September 18th, 2023 marks deadliest year on record for children in the West Bank.

September 19th is Rayleigh Forrests' shot and killed the Palestinian man during a demonstration

in the perimeter fence of the Gaza Strip.

October 4th, Gaza Strip protesters received bullet wounds to ankles.

Pretty sure all those dates were for October 7th, just because the Israelis were the ones

firing, doesn't mean that there was a ceasefire.

Because there was not a war or an aggression, you're disregarding Palestinian lies by denying

that.

I'd also like to reiterate the revision of the ceasefire resolution that's been brought

to you and wait for my vang.

Yeah, I don't know.

I'm disgusted that it's taken nearly six months to get to this point.

Even more disgusted that there's so many people who oppose it.

For 13,000 children, conservatively have been slaughtered for no reason.

With our money, and they say it's not a Sacramento issue, but like I said, we're paying for

it.

Yeah, I don't know.

Thank you for your comments.

Yes, our debor.

Yes, our debor.

Sarah Dudley, OMVW.

Amira Kattiv.

Please proceed.

Your name?

My name's Mona Bukhner.

I was called earlier, but I was in the room.

Thank you.

Please proceed.

Okay.

So as a Palestinian-American, I don't agree with a lot of the premises in some of the clauses

in this resolution.

However, we're over 164 days.

Eight in a ceasefire resolution, 30 plus 1,000 lives late in a ceasefire resolution.

The killing has to end.

The bombs need to stop dropping.

We need a ceasefire resolution, although this one might not be perfect.

I would like Sacramento to vote, yes, on the ceasefire resolution.

We cannot vote any other way.

Like if you have any basic humanity in you, how can you not want to vote?

Bombs to stop dropping on civilians.

It doesn't seem to have any basis of any other way.

I don't understand how anyone could not want a ceasefire to happen when bombs are dropping

on civilians.

In half of this population are children.

And we've been over the statistics multiple times.

But thanks.

Good evening.

Good evening.

I'm Yasar Dabur.

I'm the chair of Palestine-American League.

And I found a member of the Sacramento Regional Coalition for Palestinian Rights.

And as a leader in the Palestinian community, I was not party to drafting this resolution.

Since work started in the first draft, only 10,000 women and children had been killed.

But seems the price had not been enough for Sacramento City to come out to the resolution,

calling for ceasefire.

Now 20,000 lives more since then.

Now we're coming out with this resolution that while we support the call for ceasefire,

there is still some major problems with it that we have to call out.

And at a minimum need to be rectified to start with calling for Israel as a Jewish state

is totally in line with Israeli systematic ethnic cleansing to wipe off the Palestinian

who live in Israel.

And to call it a Jewish state, a theocracy here in America is just like asking for America

to be a Christian state.

How could you be doing that?

This is very hypocritical.

Mayor Steinberg, we said it before and we will reiterate both sideism and interfaith

is not the way to approach a crime.

You cannot have a resolution that appeases both those who represent the victims and the

oppressors.

We have to call things by their names.

The Jewish Federation and JCRC are in support of the genocide.

And GVP are a bona fide representative of Jews in this country and we need to include

them in this conversation.

And in the name of the Muslim community who spearhead the interfaith community in Sacramento,

I would like to inform you that you have been disinvited from our annual interfaith dinner

this year.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Please take your seat.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

We just like to put on record that we do not support the resolution that is agendized

as we speak.

We support a people's resolution that represents the majority of the people.

Every 10 minutes a child in Palestine dies.

24 have just died in the amount of time we have all been sitting here.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine trying to sleep to this.

I just want to reiterate that this is a live stream.

Free Palestine by any means necessary.

Thank you.

Hello.

Can you hear me?

I'm Sarah.

Thank you.

This resolution is supposed to bring people of Sacramento together into heel divisions.

Let me tell you my own experience just this week right here in Sacramento.

I work across the street and I'm going to point to the building and work across the street from this building.

The resolution calls for two-state solutions.

The other state is the flag I'm wearing right now.

I brought this flag. Protesters have been outside as they have the right all week.

I brought this flag.

I stood quietly with two colleagues.

We had obscenities.

I stood there and said nothing.

Failing to move us, they resorted to threats.

I said, if you stay here, I can't guarantee your safety.

Excuse me.

You need to address the city council.

Let them show you who they are.

No, no. Please address the city council.

It was so chilling, so threatening with this man said right there I can see it in the picture that even the woman who had been standing, that was where we were standing.

Even the woman who had been standing next to him, who had called me a baby killer, even she said to him, you can't say that.

Not what you said is wrong, but you can't say it.

You can't say the threat.

And the individual who said this to me is actually here right now.

I was worried about the police here.

We're going to say your time.

The council rules of procedures are not being followed.

People are shouting out from the audience.

I don't know how many warnings to give.

I'm inclined now to recess again and clear the chambers.

I'm happy to be the last speaker since you've already cleared the chambers once.

No, we didn't clear the chambers before.

Sorry, that you've already called to recess.

I have given sufficient warning.

I think we have heard from a large number of people here tonight.

And so I think, and I see the middle fingers, and I see all the rest in the air.

That's fine. We're going to recess the meeting.

Pursuant to government code section 54957.9.

We're going to take a recess so that sergeant reps can clear the chambers and the court can be established.

So, then once the chambers are cleared, we will then resume with the media.

The media is invited back.

But I'm very sorry for those who did not get to speak.

We got through a lot of people.

I think that was good.

And we will debate the resolution.

And we will make a decision.

We are in recess.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That was a difficult for people.

Of all ages to want to come to these chambers and feel that it's a place where they can be heard too.

At the same time,

we are committed to getting the public's business done.

We will continue to get the public's business done.

We will do our very best to accommodate, to listen, to

not resort to taking the recess or asking people to leave.

But there either has to be some reason

and some understanding that this is an imperfect democracy

where decisions get made by elected people.

Everybody has the right, we're in the middle of campaign

and the season that God and campaign hard for the person

they think will represent them best.

That includes everybody who is here tonight.

But then when we meet as a deliberative body,

especially when we endeavor to make sure

that everyone has heard, that if you can't respect

that process that you're not going to remain here.

And that's the way it's going to be.

And you wait no matter who the next mayor is,

they will face this exact same challenge,

whether they come from the progressive side,

the less progressive side, I guess we now know

who probably the top two are going to be,

but doesn't matter.

It is about maintaining the democracy here

in its imperfect form.

This is the way we do it.

And everybody gets heard if everyone cooperates.

So back to the business at hand,

and I know council member Kaplan is up here,

and I'm going to say, I do have some substance in the comments.

But they're just a couple,

you listen to the public testimony,

and you take in some input,

and there are a couple of technical changes

that I want to suggest to the resolution

from the maker of the motion, okay?

And they just are technical.

And Mayor, before we get started,

can we take a motion to, we do have a council rule

that you have to take a motion to proceed past 9.30 pm?

So can I get a motion?

That's all.

How's that?

All in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed?

Thank you.

Okay.

Back to a couple of technical changes

based on what we heard.

Number one, in the third whereas,

when we talk about the number of Israeli hostages,

we say that hundreds, it's over 100,

the number is 130.

So I think the change is at over 100.

Number two, the current number of New York times and others,

I know, says that it's 31,000 Palestinian civilians killed.

And so I would like to say, over 25,000 Palestinian civilians.

Technical.

Those are two technical changes, thank you.

I'd like to suggest those to the maker of the motion.

Now let's go to council, debate and discussion.

And I'm gonna turn it over first to council member Kaplan

and council member Boundswell,

I know has a tweet to read, but also her own comments.

Go ahead.

Council member Kaplan.

Thank you mayor and I do agree.

I think we as a council try very hard to balance the right

of everybody to get a chance to speak,

but also to get our business done.

And it is personal to me because I think everybody has a right

to be safely in our chambers.

I mean, we all mourn the loss of life

and I think we're all in favor of lasting peace

between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

I don't think any of us disagree in that.

I was hoping, you know, when we have this vote tonight,

while tonight it may not look that way,

that when it is all said and done,

we as sacraments can leave the dangerous rhetoric and hate here.

Because I think we have to find a way to bring healing