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Record of Proceedings

San Leandro City Council Meeting (Jan. 20, 2026): Consent Calendar Approvals, Public Comment, Ad Hoc Litigation/Bankruptcy Committees, and Councilmember Discipline Actions

City Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodySan Leandro, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:56:10

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:00

Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

2:30

Thank you.

3:00

Thank you.

3:30

Thank you.

4:00

Thank you.

4:30

Thank you.

5:00

Thank you.

5:30

Thank you.

6:00

Thank you.

6:30

Thank you.

7:00

Thank you.

7:30

Thank you.

8:00

Thank you.

8:30

Thank you.

9:00

Thank you.

9:30

Thank you.

10:00

Thank you.

10:30

Thank you.

11:00

Okay, it's 7.01. I'm calling to order the meeting of the San Leandro City Council today

11:10

is Tuesday, January 20th, 2026. If you're able to stand, please stand and join me in

11:16

the Pledge of Allegiance.

11:17

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic of Christ's

11:23

Thanks for a nation under God, indivisible,

11:26

with liberty and justice for all.

11:29

So we do have when Council Member Azevedo joins us online,

11:35

Madam Clerk, if you notice it or if anybody else notices it,

11:38

would you please let me know?

11:39

Because he needs to make a statement

11:42

before we proceed with his participation.

11:47

Under announcements, the city of San Lano

11:48

conducts orderly meetings to fulfill its mandate,

11:50

discriminatory statements or conduct

11:51

that would potentially violate the federal civil

11:53

Rights Act of 1964 and or the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Penal Code

11:58

Sections 403 or 415 are per se disruptive to a meeting and will not be tolerated. Please see the

12:03

City Council Handbook and City Council Meeting Rules of Decorum for more information. Madam Clerk,

12:09

your announcement please. Yes, Mayor, and we'll also need the roll call. Thank you. That's even

12:17

better. Why don't we do that before your announcement? Great. Council member Vice

12:25

Mayor Rivera-Los Walton. Present. Council member Azevedo is absent. Present.

12:33

Present. Thank you. Council member Aguilar. Present. Council member Simon. Present.

12:42

council member bowen present council member bald present and mayor gonzalez present thank you

12:52

it's all accounted for and we do have a quorum before proceeding with your announcement

12:57

council member as a veto you have an announcement

13:01

yes in accordance to with california government code section 54953.8.3 a1 i'm notifying the city

13:14

council that i need to participate in this meeting for just cause because of caregiving

13:19

for need of one of my parents there's no individual over the age of 18 present in the room thank you

13:25

So at this time we will move to the clerk's announcement.

13:32

If you would like to make a public comment during the meeting, you can do so in person or via zoom.

13:38

If you are present at the meeting, please complete a speaker card and submit it to the city clerk before the item is presented.

13:45

If you wish to participate in public comment via zoom, you can use the raise your hand tool when the item is called.

13:52

when the item is called.

13:54

During the public comment session,

13:56

speakers will be invited to speak

13:57

and will have a set time to share their comments.

14:01

A countdown timer will appear for their convenience

14:03

and when the time is up, the microphone will be muted.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████████████66%
Procedural████████12%
Community Engagement███████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure██3%
Parks and Recreation██3%
Economic Development█2%
Pending Litigation█2%
Miscellaneous█1%
Affordable Housing█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Leandro City Council Meeting (Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026)

The San Leandro City Council met in open session beginning at 7:01 PM and adjourned at 10:46 PM. Major actions included: approval of the Consent Calendar; wide-ranging public comment; creation of two mayor-led ad hoc committees (one related to Robustelli v. City of San Leandro litigation and one related to the shoreline bankruptcy matter); and two separate discipline items (under San Leandro Administrative Code Chapter 1.13) addressing potential discipline of Councilmember Victor Aguilar and Councilmember Fred Simon based on an Oct. 27, 2025 third-party investigation report.

Attendance & Procedural Notes

  • Roll call indicated all members present; Councilmember Azevedo participated remotely under Gov. Code §54953.8.3(a)(1) citing caregiving for a parent as “just cause,” and stated no other adult (18+) was present in the room.

Closed Session Report

  • On Item 3B (Conference with Real Property Negotiators), Council approved a limited disclosure about closed session. Vote: all “yes,” with Councilmember Simon absent for that vote. Staff indicated more information would be provided “in the coming days.”

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously (motion Aguilar; second Vice Mayor Rivera/Viveros Walton). Public comment focused on infrastructure needs and a Marina Community Center repair.
  • Public testimony referenced a Marina Community Center wall repair costing over $300,000.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General (non-agenda) public comment (Item 7):
    • Leo T. West criticized City spending on lobbying and urged the City to reconsider sanctuary policies; made several political statements.
    • Emily Grego (President/CEO, San Leandro Chamber of Commerce) invited Council/community to “Best of San Leandro” on Jan. 29 at the Speedway (Bayfair) and stated there was an “astounding number of votes” for nominees.
    • Melissa Wong urged formation of a resident budget task force with members from each of the six districts plus a mayoral pick, citing a structural deficit and concern about time between existing finance committee meetings (she cited 60–70 days between meetings).
    • Douglas Spaulding supported the concept of a budget task force and promoted upcoming events, including a Jan. 24 ribbon cutting at the Marina for Stephen Taylor’s memorial park.
    • Mimi Dean urged protection of Skywest Open Space (Hayward; 126 acres), describing it as the East Bay’s #1 overwintering site for western monarch butterflies and habitat for western pond turtle; asked for support of a petition.

Discussion Items

Ad Hoc Committee: Robustelli v. City of San Leandro Litigation (Item 10A)

  • Council created a mayor-led ad hoc committee to focus on the litigation.
  • Membership approved: Mayor Gonzalez and Councilmember Bolt.
  • Public comment: Douglas Spaulding expressed concern about transparency and trust in ad hoc processes.
  • Vote: Unanimous “yes” (with Councilmember Azevedo voting “aye” when polled).

Ad Hoc Committee: Shoreline Bankruptcy (Item 10B)

  • Council created a second ad hoc committee related to the shoreline bankruptcy matter.
  • Membership approved: Mayor Gonzalez and Vice Mayor Rivera/Viveros Walton.
  • Councilmember Bolt recused himself from this item.
  • Public comment: Douglas Spaulding recommended broader expertise/participation (including a possible citizen task force on shoreline development).
  • Vote: 6–0 (Bolt recused).

Discipline Matter: Councilmember Victor Aguilar (Item 10C)

City Attorney Rich Piroda summarized the process and alleged violations under Admin. Code 1.13, noting:

  • Complaint/request submitted by Vice Mayor Bowen on Oct. 24, 2025.
  • Council scheduled consideration after curing a Brown Act issue from a Nov. 3, 2025 meeting.
  • Council previously waived attorney-client privilege (Jan. 5, 2026) as to an investigation report relied upon by Bowen.
  • Findings presented as applicable to Aguilar included: (1) retaliation against Bowen following a Nov. 18, 2024 censure vote; (2) abusive conduct and alleged reputational harm after Bowen reported being physically violated by a mutual acquaintance; and (3) differential treatment reflecting gender bias toward Bowen, other female councilmembers, and a female employee.

Public testimony (highlights):

  • Multiple speakers urged censure and emphasized that behavior described in the report constituted retaliation/bullying and gender-biased conduct.
  • Other speakers criticized the report as selective, repetitive, assumption-based, and politically biased, with several citing the reported investigation cost (over $130,000 was stated by one speaker).
  • Some speakers called for restorative or mediation approaches rather than punitive discipline.

Council actions and votes (Aguilar):

  1. Adopt/accept findings of report (as facts) regarding Aguilar
    • Vote: 4–3 (Yes: Mayor Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Rivera/Viveros Walton, Bowen, Bolt; No: Simon, Aguilar, Azevedo).
  2. Determine whether discipline should be imposed
    • Vote: 5–1, with Aguilar ineligible/excluded from voting (Yes: Simon, Bolt, Gonzalez, Bowen, Rivera/Viveros Walton; No: Azevedo).
  3. Select discipline short of censure
    • Motion evolved to focus on Statement of Disapproval and Admonition (letter of reprimand language was removed in favor of a resolution format).
    • Vote (statement of disapproval + admonition, with expectation of corrective behavior and encouragement of training): 4–2, Aguilar excluded (Yes: Gonzalez, Rivera/Viveros Walton, Bolt, Bowen; No: Simon, Azevedo).
  • Council recessed and returned at 9:12 PM.

Discipline Matter: Councilmember Fred Simon (Item 10D)

City Attorney presented findings applicable to Simon from the same Oct. 27, 2025 report, including:

  • Retaliation against Bowen after Nov. 18, 2024 censure vote.
  • Comments that allegedly derailed Council’s consideration of Bowen’s priorities at the April 2024 planning session.
  • Differential treatment reflecting gender bias toward Bowen, other female councilmembers, and a female employee.

Public testimony (highlights):

  • Some speakers urged discipline and emphasized the process had taken about a year, urging Council to stop relitigating the report.
  • Several speakers again questioned the report’s accuracy and completeness.
  • Tiffany Treese (retired city employee) asked Council to remove her name and references to her from the posted report, stating she was not contacted and alleging inaccurate statements about her.
  • Jeff Duritz (representing ~265 city employees) said the report’s assertion that there was “no credible reason” for opposing certain appointments was not accurate, and stated he had relayed employee/union concerns to multiple councilmembers.
  • Bella Comello and Mimi Dean spoke positively about Simon’s character and urged conflict resolution/restorative justice.

Council actions and votes (Simon):

  1. Accept findings of report regarding Simon
    • Vote: 4–3 (Yes: Gonzalez, Bolt, Bowen, Rivera/Viveros Walton; No: Simon, Aguilar, Azevedo).
  2. Determine whether discipline should be imposed
    • Vote: 4–2, with Simon excluded/ineligible to vote (Yes: Gonzalez, Bolt, Bowen, Rivera/Viveros Walton; No: Aguilar, Azevedo).
  3. Select discipline short of censure
    • Motion: Statement of Disapproval and Admonition (Bowen stated she would refrain from requesting censure).
    • Vote: 4–2, with Simon excluded (Yes: Bolt, Gonzalez, Bowen, Rivera/Viveros Walton; No: Aguilar, Azevedo).

Referrals (Item 11)

  • Councilmember Bowen requested:
    • Expansion of the downtown Art Walk to include historical points of interest, including a proposed educational QR-code component for the location where Fred T. Korematsu was arrested.
    • Inclusion of additional revenue options in the already-approved revenue measure survey, explicitly listing a vacancy tax and potential “sin taxes” (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, e-cigarettes, firearms, ammunition, as applicable).

Councilmember Reports (Item 12)

  • Councilmember Aguilar reported on the Jan. 14 meeting of the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District (introduced a new Alameda trustee; officer elections; pay scale update) and reminded residents to tip out standing water.
  • Vice Mayor Rivera/Viveros Walton:
    • Reflected on the Jan. 10 memorial for former Mayor Stephen Cassidy.
    • Outlined 2026 priorities, including rent stabilization implementation, fiscal responsibility with equity, economic/innovation growth, and Lake Chabot Road progress.
  • Councilmember Bowen:
    • Reported attending a Korematsu exhibit at the library.
    • Reported travel to Washington, D.C. for NLC leadership discussions, emphasizing immigration-related concerns and “Know Your Rights” trainings.
    • Encouraged donations to the San Leandro Food Pantry.
  • Councilmember Bolt:
    • Reported attending a Bay Area Legislative Caucus event.
    • Noted MLK event observations and thanked staff.
    • Announced the Stephen Taylor memorial ribbon cutting at the Marina on Saturday at 10:00 AM.
  • Councilmember Simon highlighted the MLK youth oratorical event.
  • Mayor Gonzalez highlighted:
    • Meals on Wheels (stated 2,000 meals/week) and volunteer needs.
    • Bay shoreline/climate resilience work (dredging material as beneficial for levees/marsh restoration).
    • City economic development outreach (biomed-sector meeting in San Francisco).
    • Shoreline bankruptcy progress noted from a public hearing held that day.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved unanimously (includes Marina Community Center repair item discussed in testimony).
  • Closed session limited disclosure authorized (all yes; Simon absent for that vote).
  • Ad hoc committees created:
    • Robustelli litigation ad hoc: Mayor Gonzalez + Councilmember Bolt; unanimous.
    • Shoreline bankruptcy ad hoc: Mayor Gonzalez + Vice Mayor Rivera/Viveros Walton; 6–0 (Bolt recused).
  • Councilmember Aguilar discipline (short of censure):
    • Findings accepted 4–3.
    • Discipline authorized 5–1 (Aguilar excluded).
    • Statement of disapproval + admonition approved 4–2 (Aguilar excluded).
  • Councilmember Simon discipline (short of censure):
    • Findings accepted 4–3.
    • Discipline authorized 4–2 (Simon excluded).
    • Statement of disapproval + admonition approved 4–2 (Simon excluded).
  • Meeting extended twice to complete agenda: first to 10:30 PM, later to 10:45 PM.

Meeting Transcript

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. Okay, it's 7.01. I'm calling to order the meeting of the San Leandro City Council today is Tuesday, January 20th, 2026. If you're able to stand, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic of Christ's Thanks for a nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. So we do have when Council Member Azevedo joins us online, Madam Clerk, if you notice it or if anybody else notices it, would you please let me know? Because he needs to make a statement before we proceed with his participation. Under announcements, the city of San Lano conducts orderly meetings to fulfill its mandate, discriminatory statements or conduct that would potentially violate the federal civil Rights Act of 1964 and or the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Penal Code Sections 403 or 415 are per se disruptive to a meeting and will not be tolerated. Please see the City Council Handbook and City Council Meeting Rules of Decorum for more information. Madam Clerk, your announcement please. Yes, Mayor, and we'll also need the roll call. Thank you. That's even better. Why don't we do that before your announcement? Great. Council member Vice Mayor Rivera-Los Walton. Present. Council member Azevedo is absent. Present. Present. Thank you. Council member Aguilar. Present. Council member Simon. Present. council member bowen present council member bald present and mayor gonzalez present thank you it's all accounted for and we do have a quorum before proceeding with your announcement council member as a veto you have an announcement yes in accordance to with california government code section 54953.8.3 a1 i'm notifying the city council that i need to participate in this meeting for just cause because of caregiving for need of one of my parents there's no individual over the age of 18 present in the room thank you

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