San Leandro City Council is changing the way they deal with inter-council conflict. They decided on Sept. 8 to amend the city council member handbook by adding facilitated discussions to resolve future disagreements.
In April, the city asked the rules committee to add a restorative justice mediation method into the handbook to resolve internal conflict. Restorative justice is where an offender is held accountable for their actions during a conflict. The offender, victim and community members have a facilitated discussion until they repair the harm that has been done.
The topic came up after the city released an internal HR investigation earlier this year. It was initiated by Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen against Councilmembers Fred Simon and Victor Aguilar for gender bias, bullying and retaliation. Simon and Aguilar were ultimately not censured, and instead the council passed two resolutions involving a statement of disapproval and admonitions.
On Sept. 8 the committee recommended that they have conflict resolution discussions instead. “Specifically, the committee is requesting council direction on whether to shift the committee’s focus, away from restorative justice, and toward facilitated discussion mechanisms that help resolve disagreements among council members, before matters escalate to the point of where the internal discipline policy is invoked,” said assistant city manager Michael Yuen.
The council decided on option one, which is to add conflict resolution protocols to the council handbook. “Option one would authorize the rules committee to work with a new scope, to revise the council member handbook to include facilitated discussion mechanisms to help resolve disagreements,” Yuen said.
Councilmember Dylan Boldt expressed frustration with the whole process. “It’s not an obligation of the council members to get along,” he said. “I think we’re drawing out this process to the point that it’s, to what end? Are we gonna vote on it again in a month? Let’s just be better people and stop this.”
