now and we want to make sure that we continue to follow that Next slide, please under governmental transparency and public access Looking to make sure that we continue to support efforts that enhance the public's access for public meetings as well as Enable the city's ability to really comply with With what the public the public records act requirements are and then something that we're starting to see more and more of is Hate speech during public meetings and really giving local jurisdictions the tools that they need in order to address those next slide under economic development Looking at really it comes a lot down to funding mechanisms that will continue to further the infrastructure needed to promote economic resiliency Also something that's been kind of an issue for a number of years that we want to keep an eye on is the disbursement of sales and use tax and how those impact local communities and looking to Continue to just promote policies that promote a favorable business climate Next slide under the environment climate change and sustainability The platform wants to support mitigation measures that limit the effects of climate change Including but definitely not limited to wildfire medication and water conservation and then continued funding for the Conversion to and purchase of clean fleet vehicles whether it's the vehicles or the infrastructure needed in order to maintain those and then also Continuing to look at this coordinated transportation, you know sustainable planning looking at transportation housing and economic development and how they all work together Next slide Under water quality and water supply Again, just increasing the availability and funding for multitude of water infrastructure improvements And making sure that the resources are there to further the city's groundwater sustainability plans Specifically and very local to Santa Rosa is to continue to look for funding and support for the Potter Valley project and working with Larger statewide coalitions such as aqua to continue to advocate For funding for those programs that are most important to the city under the department of water resources Next slide Under administration human resources and risk management. We have support We're seeing a lot of policies that want to further Workplace diversity equity and inclusion wanted to make sure that that's included in there and looking at a broad range of policies under that scope Pro continuing to promote fiscal solvencies, especially where unfunded pensions are concerned and then We put in the platform this year monitoring legislation pertaining to artificial intelligence technology We're going to see a lot on this and there's Areas where AI can be really beneficial and probably areas where it can also be detrimental So it's one of those brand new technologies emerging technologies where you don't know what you don't know So we want to make sure that we are monitoring all of those and evaluating what the effects to the city will be Next slide under housing and land use planning Wanting to continue to support measures that preserve affordable housing as well as looking at what those regional bond efforts are And continuing to look at some streamlined environmental reviews in order to get projects built Next slide under homelessness This the platform states that we want to continue to support funding and flexible policies to really address The homeless issues in santa rosa and sonoma county specifically by Supporting permanent supportive housing by promoting those resources that address mental health and substance abuse And making sure that those fundings are flexible to meet the needs of your community and how best to address those Next slide Under recreation and parks we want to advocate for non-competitive per capita funding That's in order to make sure that you can continue with the maintenance and operations of your existing parks That housing related parks program is also similar in that it ties park-related funding to The housing that is being built in the city and we want to continue to just You know Seek funding that will continue to promote open space and bike lanes after school facilities senior services And really strengthen safety and security around the community Next slide Under public safety One of our policies is to continue supporting community oriented policies looking at gun violence prevention Really, you know, we've talked like in so many of our meetings talking about The growing issues surrounding 3d printing and the selling of ghost guns and following those also want to Continue to seek funding and policies that help promote the city's in response program And support efforts that are going to continue to promote accountability and transparency within law enforcement agency Next slide Under fire and emergency services the platform wants to support policy and regulatory efforts that Really seek regional cooperations and coordination when there is a public safety shut off And want to advocate for local control of emergency medical and ambulance services, which is something that we see Just about every year Next slide So under transportation and public works, when we say we increase funding for local transportation projects It really includes everything Not just streets and roads, but we're looking at transit operators zero bus admissions The charging infrastructure as well as bike lanes. It's really kind of transportation as a whole wanting to advocate for the Improvement of such projects in the city's most disadvantaged communities And also looking to continue to support those efforts that will increase broadband particularly with the middle and last mile expenditures Next slide Under public health We brought into the The reference to coven 19 really talking about any public health emergency and needing to make sure that Supporting efforts for direct and flexible funding in order to be able to address anything during a pandemic whether it's vaccine distribution testing public transportation housing whatever it might be I'm going to go to the next slide And with that I will turn it over to mr. Peterson and I'm available for any questions. Should you have any? Thank you chair and appreciate that With that the communications and intergovernment relations office recommends the council by two resolutions adopt this 2024 state legislative platform With that, I think the first resolution would be adopting this specific policy proposal related to the wildfire insurance first So Sharon, thank you so much for being with us this evening and thank rppg for all their hard work on behalf of the city and vice council member Thank you, it's just a time that I could actually make a recommendation on A couple of items that I'd like to add to the platform Yes, thank you So on page nine, I think it would be under parks and recreations If you could add the language to increase emergency evacuation funding to make our parks Evacuation ready. I know it's something that I've talked about in the past But I understand that there's potential grant money out there that we could seek So in the event that there is um any type of evacuation our parks that are used as evacuations that sites are I'm prepared for that council member mcdonnell. I'm sorry Madam city attorney, is there any way that Council member mcdonnell can just have the questions that are pertaining to jeff having to Abstain from part of this item so that he can be here for the full conversation My apologies madam mayor. I was um engaged at conference conversation with a council member Um, I was asking is can we narrow it down for council member mcdonnell? So she's only asking or giving suggestions to the part that Council member o'crepke Had to abstain from so that he can be here for the rest of The conversation or no Yes, and so um, you can have um that fuller conversation later Or you can it's my understanding He is listening and so if you want to have that conversation back and forth I believe he will have that and mayor I would suggest we give him an opportunity to comment on Um, all of the items the ones in what staff brought forward and any that are proposed from the dais this evening Um to give him the ability to comment on that as well So that that may be a more streamlined approach to this is to go ahead and make those comments I do believe he is listening and and will Be able to comment on that as well Perfect. All right. I just wanted clarification to make sure that council member o'crepke was involved No, that's fine. So did you want me to finish with my comments now? Just so I'm hearing you correctly or would you can for me to wait you can finish with your comment? Thank you madam mayor So that was one point. I believe it would be on page nine under parks and recreation If that's okay with you and then if you go to page 12 Under public works. I'm not sure if this is wearable. It would be inserted But I understand that cell phone towers have not all been replaced Initially, I thought that this was under the federal legislative platform But I understand it's under california legislative platform that we advocate that any Cell phone tamer cell phone towers that were damaged during specifically during the fires be replaced And I think that's all I got otherwise I want to say thank you for the presentation and thanks to Sharon and the entire team for all that the work that they do On our grants and legislation, but those were my two additions. Thanks. You're welcome. Thank you for that I'm just real quick if I may on the current platform under wildfire. There is An element that is to advocate for additional funding to be appropriated for emergency areas such as parks To have proper bathrooms and be properly equipped for emergency use So we added that last year. I think for our conversation. Did you Pardon me line. Is that a wildfire prevention and recovery? Is that what you have it under? It's under it's under that section Let me read through Yep Okay to advocate for the additional funding be appropriated for emergency areas as parks Okay, I'm not sure if it has to go under that bullet if there's still prevention and recovery Funding or if it should go under I'm fine with it as long as it's in the platform. I guess it doesn't matter where it's at Sure, we'll make sure you're pointing it out. I did miss it on my first round through. Thank you. Thank you Are there any additional questions from council members? I don't have very many so I don't have to look very far All right Vice mayor, I'm wondering how you're going to do that from over there because Okay, so we're going to hold for a moment Thank you for your patience madam mayor. Um, I think we need to amend the resolution that's written right now I was looking to our city attorney for some help with that um the um, I believe what the vice mayor has in mind is I'm making a Modification to the title of resolution one and this is the again the resolution that deals just with the wildfire insurance policy item My suggestion is just to make the title a little bit clearer and then you could if if that amendment is accepted You can introduce using that particular title. So what I would suggest is to say Um, uh, instead of the title that's there resolution of the council of the city of santa rosa um, adopting a wildfire insurance policy priority Within the 2024 state legislative platform. I will defer to staff to see if that Uh, it feels like an appropriate title Absolutely Thank you I think the clerk has that down And so I think you can just refer to what I just said as in in terms of your motion. I don't think you need to repeat it It's so moved enough All right, we have a motion made from vice mayor staff in a second from councilmember alvarez Madam city clerk May you please call the vote we need to take public comment on the island. Sorry public comment long night already Um, madam city clerk may you please? Facilitate public comment. Thank you. We are taking public comment on item 15.2 resolution one if you would like to make Comment, please make your way to the podium or provide your name to the administrator at the top of the well You will have two minutes and a countdown timer will alert at the end of that period If you are participating via zoom and would like to make a comment on item 15.1 Now is the time to raise your hand. We will go ahead and start with thomas Thank you. Yes, uh, thomas ells and um, a civil and environmental engineer And uh, do forgive me. So I think that something may have uh slipped If you will under the legislative calendar that they're talking about in the sense that the court in nevada just Made a determination That groundwater is A function of the surface water and and is also legally Uh bound to that So, uh, in other words that groundwater is in fact surface water In one form or another So it's a legal determination We as engineers We don't it's very very difficult to ascertain exactly where groundwater originates somewhere on a surface somewhere It's it's it's very complicated I don't want to get into the details, but the point is that from a legal standpoint now the surface water Is or the groundwater is derived from surface water one thing that it doesn't Allow for is is some people have a hypothesis that That Some kind of deep underground water Resurfaces and comes up and recharges groundwater or there's some kind of mysterious thing about there is definitely water in the mantle There's definitely water down there Uh, how it get it doesn't get up here They have and and so the court has determined that groundwater is in fact a function of the surface water and That has to do with that part about water And we can understand and we have these various groundwater basins now And I just wanted to point out that this is a very significant Determination that uh, they make thank you Thank you I see no one else approaching the podiums in council chamber and no hands being raised on the first resolution mayor Thank you and sorry about that So madam city clerk, we have a motion on the floor made by vice mayor step In a second from councilmember alvarez. May you please call the vote? Thank you mayor councilmember rogers councilmember okrepke councilmember mcdonald aye councilmember fleming councilmember alvarez Vice mayor step aye Mayor rogers aye Let the record show that resolution passes with four affirmative votes Madam city attorney may you uh do some clarification for us? Sure at this point. I think Councilmember okrepke is returning It is my understanding that councilmember okrepke Had a conflict only with respect to one policy item It was the one it was just discussed with respect to wildfire insurance issues I believe when he announced his recusal he also talked about tax measures and I just wanted to clarify That I believe your Your recusal was really only as to the wildfire insurance issue But I want to clarify that councilmember Yes, it was only in reference to the insurance commissioner aspects since he is the uh The elected official in charge of the governing body of my profession Okay With that my recommendation would be to allow councilmember okrepke to um make whatever Comments or ask whatever questions he might have with respect to the balance of the platform before you move on to Consider the resolution adopting that the balance of that platform Are there any additional Questions or comments from council members? All right seeing none Oh You well you can do it because you make the motion so you can say your comments or questions and then you can make your motion My comment was simply a compliment. Thank you Lawn Scott and Sharon I want to underline the 21.5 million dollar number that was in the proposal or in the in the presentation. What rather All of that all of those funds coming in to do good things for the city And and we're hopeful of more to thought more to come. Thank you very much for the good work Thank you. I really appreciate it. It's a team effort as you guys know, so thank you And with that I'll introduce a motion To approve this resolution of the council the city of santa rosa adopting the 2024 city of santa rosa state legislative platform second We have a motion made by vice mayor staff in a second from councilmember mcdonnell madam city clerk. May you please call the vote Do we need to take public comment on this second resolution? Nope. Okay the vote If I if I may clarify the reason we're not taking public comment is you already took public comment on the entire item So no need for duplicative Okay Thank you councilmember rogers Councilmember okrepke. Hi councilmember mcdonnell. Hi councilmember phleming Councilmember alvarez. Hi vice mayor step. Hi Mayor rogers. I let the record show this passes with five affirmative votes Thank you, and I would like to to thank Sharon and rppg again, but also our Team that we have here the communications and intergovernmental relations you guys rock And you definitely are helping us get to where we need to to go So thank not to mention all the support you give me, but thank you very much Very welcome. Thank you All right. I'm on the hot seat again. We're gonna we're gonna move over to item 11.1 And assistant city manager dunstan if you wouldn't mind Thank you. Mr. Vice mayor. Uh, can you repeat the item again, please? 11.1 Yeah, that's you sir Oh, excuse me item 11. Yes. Okay. Mayor and council members reports. Here we are. That's that's the theme of the night So i'm i'm i'm looking down the dais councilmember alvarez Thank you, vice mayor. Uh, first of all, I want to thank mark wash for having served on the board of public utilities The gentleman decided to move on to the salama county retirement fund where he was successful in his election And to replace him. I would like to appoint yvonne sierra To the board of public utilities and I don't see him here now But I wanted to appoint dwayne duit to our community advisory board The gentleman loves rosalind as much as I do and I know he will serve in the position With with great effectiveness. So dwayne wherever you're at I hope you accept my nomination to cab So please get all of me so we can make it official Uh, with that being said, uh, that's that's out of my report. Thank you Thank you councilmember alvarez. Mayor rogers Thank you I would like to appoint councilmember rogers to the open government task force And he will be replacing councilmember flinning Thank you All right councilmember donald Thank you. Just a couple of things to report out on. Um, we had another city school ad hoc committee The three of us attended about a week ago and will be meeting with santa rosa city schools again We had our annual goal setting that I was able to attend for the day along with all of my councilmembers I attend the the sonoma county mayor and councilmembers association dinner We had a report out on first five and all that they're doing in the communities And also want to do a quick shout out for the park a month event that was held in courthouse square That resulted in I think about 20 different volunteers and a couple different businesses, but Just a shout out to the entire parks team that come every month and do that rain or shine. Thanks Thank you. All right three quick items from me There were two large events focused on tourism and hospitality over the past couple of weeks Put up by sonoma county tourism and the sonoma county hospitality association A number of us on the day us attended as well as city staff The meetings were all focused on what is the level of tourism in the area? How do we do more to to make our region attractive to visitors to do more with our marketing? Some great some great ideas and discussion Um, our congratulations to the sonoma county farm farm bureau on the third They they held their annual crab feed event Which is one of the largest in the county, but it takes place in the city So we're going to claim it as our own They had more than 1700 people at the fairgrounds and raised several hundred thousand dollars for a youth education As well as agriculture advocacy in the county Um a wonderful event that again most of most of the council attended And then on the eighth, um the council member mcdonald and i attended the mayors and council member meeting in clover dale We got a report on the county's universal basic basic income program And then there are also discussions around the evolving partnership between sonoma county cities and the sonoma county library And that concludes our council member reports Move on to item 12 approval of minutes Were there any were there any changes or additions to the minutes? Okay, madame cindy clerk We read those in Would you like to take public comment on oh, yes, I would So we're going to circle back and take public comment on item 11 and Item 12 the approval of the minutes and the mayors and council members reports If you're in the chamber would like to provide comment But I have not yet provided a speaker card or your name. Please make your way to the podium You'll have two minutes and a countdown timer will alert at the end of that period If you're participating via zoom now is the time to raise your hand for item 11 or 11 or 12.1 Seeing no one approaching the podiums for public comment on these items and no hands being raised Vice mayor, we can approve those minutes as submitted Thank you move on to uh item 13 consent Madame city clerk Thank you vice mayor item 13.1 resolution maintenance agreement between The state of california and the city of santa rosa for highway 101 bicycle and pedestrian over crossing project Item 13.2 resolution fourth amendment to professional services agreement number f 002144 with place works ink general plan 2050 ghg reduction strategy and eir item 13.3 Resolution second amendment to professional services agreement number f 002672 with geary shea o'Donnell gratton and mitchell pc for continued legal representation item 13.4 ordinance introduction ordinance of the council of the city of santa rosa correcting a clerical error in ordinance o rd dash 2023 dash 016 By renumbering the hazardous vegetation and fuels management chapter within the city the santa rosa city code as chapter 9 dash 32 Thank you, madam city clerk. I'm looking to council Wonderful uh turning that into public comment Thank you. We are now taking public comment on the consent calendar Please make your way to the podium if you have provided a speaker card or and if you have not please make your way to the podium Uh, if you are participating via zoom, we would like to make public comment on the consent calendar Now's the time to raise your hand. You will have two minutes in a countdown timer will alert at the end of that period The first public comment will be from dwayne We will move on to thomas says I do not see dwayne in the room You forgive me seems like a comment on quite a few of these that I just want to represent for for the transportation line use coalition you heard from Some of the members earlier about jinnings and this is the other part of that which is moving forward. This is terrific There there are a couple of other things people want to make a It's it's the design is that it be a statement We were hoping that maybe there would be some other aspects to it which might Signify some of the other interest In santa rosa On the crossing it's it's going to look like a bridge over the Essentially, I think it's over the sacramento river up in in by shasta And and that's wonderful But there were some things that we could maybe do to add to that. We spoke to the the um the arts art in public places Things like that and there'd be some artwork on there that might reference something of of uh, santa rosa's Shoulds or something like that, you know with the snoopy things like that, but Irrespective of that, this is a really great move to move forward on this uh continuous Crossing that is separate from the roads the main roads that we have that will be jinnings and then Edwards and elliot that gets over to The jc and divert a lot of the traffic and so it's a really great Move that city's doing. Thank you Thank you seeing no one else in the room wishing to provide public comment and there are no hands being raised via zoom I'll turn it back to you vice mayor Thank you and i'll turn it over to councilman mcdonald for a motion. Thank you vice mayor. I move items 13.1 through 13.4 Second All right, we have a motion from councilman mcdonald and i'll give it to councilmember alvarez for the second Madam city clerk, you want to call the vote? Thank you councilmember rogers councilmember okrepke I councilmember mcdonald i councilmember flimming councilmember alvarez council or vice mayor step mayor rogers Let the record show this consent calendar passes with four affirmative votes Thank you All right, this has been an exciting tour through the agenda tonight. We are going to Jump down. I believe to item 17 written communications And i'm a 17.1 the notice of final map for the cortney estates Any public comment on that item? Then we'll move to our second public comment on non-agenda matters Madam city clerk Thank you. We are now taking public comments on item 18 the second period for non-agenda matters If you have not yet submitted a speaker card or your name, please make your way to the podium You will have two minutes and a countdown timer will alert at the end of that period Again, if you provided written public comment by the 5 p.m. Deadline is noted on today's agenda Your public comment was uploaded to the agenda packet Circulated to city council and made available to the public this morning Live public comment is not a second opportunity to provide public comment on the same agenda Or non-agenda matter As names are called please line up at the opposite podium as a speaker Called ahead of you in order to maintain space and an orderly meeting The first speaker will be hanan followed by jen than jone Hanan, please go ahead Okay, we'll move on to Jen Hanan Nand who nady. I am asinoma county resident. I am palestinian and this is a local issue According to rosemary de carlo Secretary under a general for political and peacebuilding affairs Cease fires are not only about stopping the fighting between belligerents Effective ceasefire agreements protect civilians and enable humanitarian access to vulnerable populations From a political standpoint ceasefires are a major opportunity to set the foundation for inclusive and comprehensive peace talks We are asking our local city councils to adopt ceasefire resolutions because our federal representatives thompson and huffman are not representing the majority of their constituents in calling for An end to genocide return for all hostages and a demand for immediate humanitarian aid to all people in reza I want to ask everyone in this room. What world are we living in? When community members beg the representatives to call for a ceasefire the ending of a massacre and a bombardment The ending of the senseless killing starving and cutting off water the ending of bombing hospitals churches And targeting ambulances is met with counter. What margaret atwood world is this? What world are we living in that when the third oldest church on this planet is targeted and bombed with Christians inside that nobody blinks an eye that on christmas christian palestinians are bombarded in bethlehem And it doesn't make the front page news are we to believe that the third most powerful military in the world israel has This bad of an aim that at this point they have killed more than 12,000 children in the last four months on accident And what world is this that hate words are more heavily weighted than actual american citizens being stabbed and shot to death Nobody cares because they were palestinian. Is that the world we are living in? Yes We know we live in a racist world, but I have believed in this community to do better I have been wrong palestinians are not showing up here anymore because we are afraid for our lives Because we are actually being killed here in this country for being palestinian We are being targeted in this county Thank you. The next public comment will be from jen followed by jone, then julia Jen, thank you Please go ahead Hello, my name is jen. I am jewish. I'm a resident of santa rosa I'm here to speak in support of a ceasefire resolution I'm here as a call for unity for a ceasefire resolution like we saw in katati I have the honor tonight to read a letter From our rabbi urwin in support of this katati resolution I'm going to read his letter now My name is rabbi urwin keller I have and have been for the past 15 years the rabbi at congregation ner shalom I am here today speaking on my own behalf and not that of ner shalom itself In our congregation of 140 households there are a range of viewpoints. However The membership of ner shalom knows that I am here today to speak in support of the resolution for ceasefire I have received 30 emails From my congregants 29 of which express gratitude and relief for me taking this stance American jews are expected to defend israel There is a connection we have born of a shared history of suffering It makes it difficult to break ranks But it is our jewish obligation to speak out We know that a ceasefire resolution Is not peace But a ceasefire is not nothing It is the first step in any solution and any future prospect of peace Every additional day of this war makes the chances for peace slimmer Ceasefire cannot happen without world support particularly without push for from the u.s. government And so before one more palestinian child is killed Before one more israeli soldier is killed. Let us pass this resolution and ask our government to be peacemakers Let the hostages be returned. Let the bot hostages. Let the bombs be still. Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from jone followed by julia then jordan Joan Okay, we'll move on to julia then jordan then brie julia rapkin okay jackie Do we have brie coming up? Okay, thank you brie and then jackie will move to you next. Yes, great awesome Hi, my name is brie. I'm a sonoma county resident. I'm actually here I'm going to be reading a letter on behalf of an elder from our community. That's moved to santa rosa back in 1944 Her name is sallie latch She wrote the following Dear santa rosa city council members My name is sallie latch, and I am a longtime jewish resident of sonoma county. It isn't very important That it is understood that the jewish community is not a monolith For example, some jews don't want a ceasefire in gaza others like myself and millions more Desperately do want a ceasefire The catastrophic suffering in gaza has led to an increase in hatred towards jews and palestinians Killing does not make friends. Our security is increasingly threatened This truth makes it a local issue Thus as the city council is charged with responding to local community issues It is imperative that it stands up to the reality and supports a ceasefire now. Thank you very much Thank you. The next public comment is jones in the room julia jordan Jackie will go to you next. I apologize Hi, my name is jordan You all know me very well at this point I can't believe we're still here trying to urge you guys to say something But I want to read something And really quick. I just want to highlight the hypocrisy of a Proclamation for black history month when all of the great black history Leaders that we honor during black history month would be on our side here And if there's any people in opposition to this ceasefire resolution, I just want to let you know as a jew We want your family to come home safe We want justice. We want peace. We want everybody to live safe dignified lives And that's why we're here.  There is no future here. You must leave That is the message that is being sent and yet we're obscuring these atrocities We're obscuring these genocidal campaigns with words of distraction We're taking it and abstracting it to warfare and strategy Hostages and the negotiations when the humanitarian situation speaks for itself when tribunals have told us repeatedly This is a genocide. It must be ended unequivocally And that is a come incumbent upon us now before we see the last city in gaza The one that is normally home to 220 000 palestinians now housing one and a half million palestinians 80 of the population Intense and in dire humanitarian situations We should be rushing in to treat them with medicine with food with water with adequate care Rather than now preparing Thank you. The next public comment will be from jackie followed by andrew then karen Good evening. My name is jackie mermay. I am a resident of santa rosa once again My council member is not present for my public comment This is the third time i've been here and chris rogers has been absent eddie alvarez I'd like to say thank you for being the only council member who's making consistent eye contact with us this evening We noticed that you're looking away What you're doing is really indicative of what's been happening over the last four months You don't even have the decency to look us in the eye when we're speaking about something that is gravely serious Over 12 000 children are dead 17 000 are orphaned and we know that those numbers are truly much higher I'm here tonight as a mother I can't look my daughter in the eyes without thinking about all of the children that are wandering aimlessly in gaza Looking for their parents raising their own infant children And now we're hearing reports of young children Begging pleading to also die They're wondering why they've been spared and their parents were taken from them as we continue to fund the bombs with our tax dollars When we could be putting that money Here into our own community And helping our our our children here With education we've got unhoused children here in our city And I know that you all became public servants because you believe in doing the public good So i'm asking you to look inside your hearts remind yourselves why you chose to be a public servant Why did you choose this? Because this is a path you chose you wanted to represent us do the public good Hear us represent us Bring peace amplify our voices. It's your responsibility Thank you for having the decency to stay here I would urge you to speak to the council members that are not present tonight and question them why they are not here I'm also curious why mayor roger's left before she had the opportunity to hear us all speak Thank you for your time. I appreciate it ceasefire Thank you. The next public comment will be from andrew followed by karen than lev To the esteemed members of the santa rosa city council and the kind and concerned citizens gathered here today My name is andrew angall I have been a santa rosa resident since 2020 and presently a candidate for congress to serve the people of our city and the rest of california's fourth district in washington dc I stand before you now both in my capacity as an inspiring leader in our community And as a concerned american citizen to implore you to join us in the other california cities of katati davis richmond alameda kudahey oakland and san francisco in adopting a proclamation that affirms that our great city stands in support of an immediate israeli palestinian ceasefire and a permanent diplomatic solution to this conflict To be clear I and those that stand with me oppose all forms of anti-semitism islamophobia racism bigotry and genocide And I will always stand as an advocate for the dignity and safety of people of every community regardless of skin color ethnicity or creed I condemn that the actions of the hamas in the murder of 1200 innocent israeli civilians in the taking of some 253 other hostages on october 7th But so too do I condemn the over-the-top response of netanyahu's indiscriminate shelling of gaza that has claimed the lives of 28,000 palestinians and injured roughly 68,000 more many of which themselves have been innocent civilians and children Of the 2 million people of gaza roughly 40 percent of which are under the age of 14 Roughly 1.9 million civilians 85 of the population have been forcibly displaced according to the united nations Nearly half of the buildings in gaza have been raised to the ground and over half a million people are at risk of succumbing to famine and disease without immediate humanitarian aid It is my hope that cooler heads will prevail and that more voices will join us in the name of peace love unity and respect for the humanity of all To support resolution hr 786 and call upon congress to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in this present conflict For the release of all hostages and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid and assistance in the restoration of food Water electricity and medical supplies to the people of gaza Now is the time to choose that which side of history we will fall upon And I hope that we will have the courage to choose a better path than the one we have set upon so that love and justice for desperate people in need of Aid and a brighter future will have the final Thank you. The next public comment will be karen followed by lev then johanna Karen followed by lev then johanna Lev Karen Lev Johanna Thank you. Please go ahead And then we'll go to ari James santa rosa resident 45 years now I'm here again to urge you our elected representatives to adopt a resolution on behalf of the people of santa rosa Calling for an immediate ceasefire in gaza and suspension of all aid to israel At least until some provisions for peaceful resolution are negotiated I'm sure you are already well aware of the ever worsening horror Of the situation in gaza and the worldwide calls for an end to the carnage occurring there I know there is some opposition to such a resolution and the belief that it is not within the proper scope Of our city council and that your actions should be strictly limited to matters directly affecting santa rosa I maintain however that our shared humanity and concern for the welfare of others does not stop Nor should it at the city limits Considering that this is black history month Reflect on how that history might be different if people in communities throughout the northern states Had taken the position that the abolition of slavery elsewhere was not an appropriate matter of local concern or action That as long as they weren't enslaving others in their community or state It was not their business and was beyond the scope of their control or even influence One might also argue that any such local resolution can't make any difference But we have a moral and ethical imperative to speak To oppose israel's actions and our us government's support of that To demand a ceasefire and to insist that this death and devastation is not in our name Silence is implied consent I urge you to join the growing number of communities large and small in california and others across the nation Thank you the next public comment will be from ari followed by julie Then virginia Can you please get closer to the microphone? Okay, thank you. Thank you I'm new to this community When I came here, this was the first thing that I looked for was for people who were focused On trying to bring peace in palestine It is so important that we adopt this ceasefire And it's necessary that it's right now The majority of americans and you can see in this room how strong the local support is if you look up Um We're calling to end genocide of the palestinian people The people of gaza are no different than any of us. They deserve to live and thrive in their home The damage done is profound This is a trauma that will be remembered and grieved throughout history What will santa rosa's legacy be? What can we all say for ourselves? Our government is funding this genocide without our consent This is a local issue in that over 2 million of santa rosa's tax dollars are going towards arming israel slaughter of palestinians We could use those tax dollars here to house our unhoused Defeat our hungry neighbors truly.  Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from julie followed by virginia than mark I've been a resident of santa rosa for 30 years. I'm grateful for this opportunity to speak to my council members I am wondering if anybody has any idea how many children Were maimed orphaned or killed since the last time many of us convened here to ask for a resolution A ceasefire resolution to be put on the agenda. It's impossible to know many are buried under the rubble I also want to speak directly to some of you I believe that there are some of you here who are aware of the horrors that are taking place with our dime and I believe some of you would like To have us pass a ceasefire resolution, but maybe you're concerned about your career or dissent or you have anxiety around it And that's understandable. It's hard to be the first person to stand up But I I think that that some of you are capable of that And maybe you want to ask another council member that you think has similar ideas and together You can propose that we put this on the agenda um chris rogers i'm so glad you've come back because i've been um Invited to endorse you and vote for you for a state assembly and I really really want to But I need you to step up and need you to step up on this On soon like right now And I victoria phleming. I'm in your district. I voted for you twice. I have signs in my yard I know you care about people like you care about the unsheltered you care about immigrants and housing I need you to step up Show your leadership Allow us to put this on the agenda. Also, I am jewish and my rabbi rabbi erwin keller spoke In katalia. There's a few words that weren't said yet and he wrote the babelonian talmud instructs us that anyone who has He a capacity to protest injustice that is being done by members of their household and does not do so They're considered as if they too were committing that injustice. This holds true Thank you. The next public comment will be from virginia followed by mark then shana My name is virginia I've been a resident of united states of america for a lot of decades I have worked internationally and nationally in my calling which has been to be a personal and social responsibility For what happens and the choices that I make I'm here today because I'm coming here from a legacy Particularly from my father who I think I passed on to me that I need to be Personally and socially responsible for the choices I make and because I'm in the healthcare profession social services crisis intervention suicide prevention death and dying hospice hiv All the diseases which are lack of ease that have been a part of our human being Because I've chosen to be in that leadership row I come here today in coherence with everything that has been spoken today and I advocate for us to continue to make choices That are a part of the Hippocratic oath Which I think everyone is a physician and everyone is a patient Everyone's a student and everyone is a teacher And so the Hippocratic oath is physician thou shall do no harm if I stand with that knowledge that My money Is being spent on something that's in congruent with my belief Then I have done wrong Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from mark followed by shawna then michael I'm city council. Uh, my name is mark rudow. I've lived in santa rosa for 33 years If the council wants to delve into middle east politics I urge them to consider a resolution that calls for the immediate release of israeli hostages and The immediate surrender of hamas A ceasefire with hamas is worthless Remember there was a ceasefire on october 6th and on october 7th. There was a barbarous invasion of israel People were massacred people civilians were actually targeted. They were not collateral damage Hamas is a fundamentalist Antisemitic death cult that is not fighting for an end of occupation Their self-stated goal is the destruction of the state of israel It is no mistake that their charter article 7 features the following hadith The day of judgment will not come about until muslims fight the jews killing the jews When the jew will hide behind the stones and trees The stones and trees will say oh muslims. Oh, abdulla. There is a jew behind me come and kill him Since their inception their tactic has been to murder as many israeli civilians as possible They've done it with bombs with Shootings with car rammings with Unbelievable avidity have they pursued that And the only way to get rid of them you've seen how they've built incredible fortresses Under mosques under hospitals under schools under unra facilities A ceasefire will just delay the ultimate Thank you the next public comment will be from shawna followed by michael then reberda Hi, i'm shawna. I'm the director of a non-profit farm school called sun beam in pedaluma Some of our families are residents of san aroza We host a parent cooperative play a nature-based preschool and school age camps For school age kids. I'm a mother of two young girls and as a woman who has devoted my professional life in service of children and families I've been deeply grieving these past four months seeing the suffering and the loss in gaza and in the west bank I want to tell you about a local man named elias and his family the hustries For whom I feel immense gratitude because they least to me are beautiful two acre farm site Therefore they make my work possible Elias and his family moved to sonoma county from palestine in the early 1980s Elias's father survived the nakpa of 1948 and the many assaults That they experienced in his homeland between those two dates Two months ago when I reached out to elias to share how horrified and ashamed I am that my tax dollars are helping to Mass murder tens of thousands of innocent people in his homeland I was struck and saddened by how much appreciation he felt And expressed to me in response to me simply caring about him and his family council. It shouldn't be that way It should be a given that we acknowledge the humanity in our fellow citizens Our arab citizens here in sonoma county who are helping to build our communities Should know that they matter Council your leadership is needed in this moment by passing a ceasefire resolution You send a message to our community that palestinians are humans They matter they should be allowed to exist and it is the bare minimum that you owe us as citizens Thank you. The next comment will be from michael followed by reberda than stan My name is michael the tone. I'm a resident of santa rosa in district two. So, um Mark stat. I know you're having a side conversation, but i'm here and I hope you're listening so, um I support a resolution for ceasefire and that's what I want to tell you today I am someone who is involved in the community I do a lot of outreach work with unsheltered folks through sonoma county acts of kindness I'm part of the sonoma county tenants union I help tenants with a lot of their issues. So I really care about local issues And part of the reason I care about the local issues is because they're part of a bigger problem And what we're talking about right now is a very big problem It's not outside the scope of what santa rosa city council should be focused on It is something that we're very much a part of Our government our tax dollars Are funding genocide. This isn't the first time this has happened Our government supported south african apartheid something that We don't learn too much about in school and I want our kids to learn that this was What the u.s. Was doing at this time we were supporting a genocide in palestine But I want them to learn that there was resistance and that Even if it was a local level that people stood up and said something about it We've been to huffman. We've been to tomson. Uh, some of us Picketed outside huffman's office. Some of us showed up to the state capital and protested for palestine And they're not listening. So we need everyone here I need my council member mark staff I need the council members here to stand up and be very clear on where they stand right now Because this is unacceptable And it's something that all of us have to do something about otherwise It's just bound to continue It's bound to be a part of our legacy as people who did nothing And it's bound to be a part of where our tax dollars are going Thank you. The next speaker will be reberda followed by stan then jimmy Good evening council members My name is reberda and I've lived in santa rosa for 50 years I'm very impressed with the number of issues that you deal with here I would think that since I arrived in santa rosa. There's been a lot of there are a lot of problems We have homeless. We have hungry We have an education system that's not Conducive to many of the students We have people that are important in our community like teachers policemen firemen who can't afford to who live here There are so many things. There are even more things that you've talked about today I I disagree with the man that I followed I would like you to solve the problems that affect our community if you want to be Take action or something on political Situations and foreign affairs That's fine with me. Do it on your own time Please attend to the problems we have and make sanoma county and santa rosa a better place to live Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from stan than jimmy than aviva Hello, my name is stan rudman. I've been here for 15 years The first reason i'm against this resolution is that will embolden people Who support hamas to take violent actions against jewish institutions synagogues? And businesses as has happened in other places where such resolutions have been passed So we certainly don't want that kind of violence here. So I suggest we don't pass this Second people have blood on their hands here in this room But actually who has blood on their hands? Actually, it is hamas Hamas is the one that attacked israel killing people massacring people babies hamas is the one who Has in their charter has been just been mentioned Genocide in their charter hamas is the one that sent tens of thousands of rockets into israel Hamas is the one who has military equipment in house in house in schools mosques and unruly facilities a mosque hamas is the one that has Tunnels underneath all these places where they're not supposed to be How many civilians are in the tunnels none? What is the really purpose of hamas? What is their goal for this whole conflict the actual goal is to have their own people killed That is what their goal is and they have succeeded. They're the ones that are causing the problems Why don't they want to choose right now? They've had to choose in the last weeks and weeks Please please the reason that the Hold on folks Mr. Vice mayor, I'm going to recommend a brief recess Folks folks. We're going to take a we're going to take a brief recess right now 10 minutes We're going to clear that we're going to clear Officers, can you please clear the clear the chamber? Officers, can you please clear the chamber everyone? Please leave the chamber so we can settle the room And we will reconvene in 10 minutes as per vice mayor staff's recommendation. Thank you All right. Welcome back everyone It's our goal that everybody has a chance to speak tonight both the people in this room and online But in order to do that we're going to have to to revert to the the very polite behavior that we had at the start of the meeting One person speaks at a time No shouting no talking with everybody else And then we will then and then if that happens everyone will have the chance to speak If that doesn't happen, we will likely have to adjourn the meeting So everyone on their best behavior And with that we're going to we're going to continue with the public commenter who was speaking just before we Apologies, we have one more bit of housekeeping here. We're going to take roll madden city clerk Thank you. Councilmember rogers Councilmember okrepke here councilmember mcdonnell here councilmember fleming Councilmember alvarez president vice mayor step here Mayor rogers president let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of councilmember fleming All right in madden city clerk. Are we ready to resume public comment? We are all right We'll begin with the gentleman who was speaking just before we we took a break And he will have I believe 30 seconds to continue to finish his statement Let me just say that I am in favor of a ceasefire But the ceasefire has to be released to hostages and a mouse has to surrender they've lost the war The only reason they would continue the war is I said before is to have more people of their own killed Which is very sad and people have to acknowledge that sad fact And if they would surrender release the hostages peace can occur and maybe something good can come of at all. Thank you Thank you. The next speaker will be jimmy followed by aviva then a leg rep My name is dr. Wu and I've been a family physician serving the marginalized populations of santa rosa snoma county for the past 15 years As somebody who's dedicated my career to the pursuit of health equity Especially for those most oppressed it saddens me greatly to bear witness the undeniable atrocities being perpetrated against the palestinian people by israel It is with this emotion that I passionately urge the santa rosa city council to follow their katati counterparts and immediately considering and adapting a ceasefire resolution The tragic numbers are indisputable and we as a community as a country must stop averting our eyes from the realities and end our complicity in the senseless violence There have been 34 000 total killed including 13 000 children This is kind of the thousands who are still missing and likely under rubble In addition over 600 of my medical colleagues have been injured or killed To give you local perspective the total number to cease is double the current enrollment at the jc The number of dead children in gaza is approximately the same number of children who are enrolled in our very own santa rosa city school district Finally the number of healthcare heroes killed or injured in gaza is about equal to the total number of hospital beds Among santa rosa's three main hospitals Sit with those comparisons for a moment While those numbers should sufficiently horrify anybody we must not forget the deleterious Traumatizing effects of war and death on the health and wellness of the palestinian people Especially the youth who ultimately may survive this deadly conflict In my work i have borne witness to how a person's collective traumas throughout their lives contribute to their current health problems and suffering Now imagine the entire community an entire population having endured through this genocide of their people together And how this will negatively impact the health of current and future generations of palestinian people As a city council if you consider and pass the ceasefire resolution You would make an incredible difference in shifting the state and ultimately a national conversation on this issue Towards one of peace justice and human rights for all. Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from aviva followed by alagra than josh. My name is aviva lipkowitz My family also survived the pogroms in ukraine Well some of them did and some of them didn't And i can't imagine there's anything i'm going to be able to say to you after everyone has spoken so eloquently and with such heart and with such fact behind them to plead with you, but we Are watching A campaign of extermination Unfold on our phones and we are begging Our representatives to do something and the reason that our representatives can do something Is that our government is funding this war? There's no way that this war could continue without our funding And we've been calling our representatives. We've been protesting. We write them letters We hear you can fax them and then it turns out the faxes also just turn into emails that they also ignore So why is this here for you the city council? Because You are here to lift up our voices This is a local issue not just because there are palestinian constituents who are watching their families and their communities be decimated From here in santa rosa But because our money my money My meager money is going To those bombs and to those jets To that campaign of starvation Starvation people are already dying of starvation and cold and You can be our voices. That's what we are begging you to do is be our voices Thank you. The next public comment will be Allegra followed by josh than lee My name is Allegra. I am a santa rosa resident eddie is my representative. Hi eddie I'm here because I am a mom. I'm a mom of two They're six and 11 and every day when I look at my phone.  I don't know how you're living with this We have to use our conscience. Um People who have gone to where they're told to go to have fled to where they are told they will be safe are not safe They are now being bombed as well. They are now being killed as well We are seeing people as others have said starving They are dying of thirst And at a certain point The excuses of this is not our business have to stop. This is all everybody's business Genocide is everybody's business Be brave stand up against genocide Stand for a ceasefire. Thank you Thank you. The next public comment will be from josh followed by lee than maribi Right. Um, so I want to talk about leadership just for a second now. This has been a big day And I would think twice before stepping into any of your seats up there in the city council The community is very Heated right now. You could see the assault on rafa is happening at this moment. It's in our faces We've seen so much suffering injustice cruelty and the violent Conflict in israel palestine and we can't excuse it and worst of all there seem to be no consequences It seems to barrel out of control And so this community came here. Maybe we traced the weapons money from federal tax monies followed it all the way down To this chamber Maybe we feel complicit because we are jewish and we have to speak up where we feel we have to maybe we've seen a history of injustice and cynical power grabs and we have Heard some folks were getting together and that this is the room where something could be done where some kind of Resolution could be made I understand that crafting a statement is daunting because i've never seen so many people operating with different truths different keywords Different slogans but that's where leadership comes in and where elected leaders come in The council has an opportunity to speak for the community in a way that works and Moves us forward in a way that brings our community together in a desire for justice There are disagreements in your constituency. I get that. I have a disagreements with myself But most people want to see the current devastation end and need to see some support towards that in their immediate community I don't think everyone's going to be happy, but i'm not here to be happy I'm here to see and to do what I can to end the destruction of a truly precious and irreplaceable part of the human family the palestinian people I think this goal is something that we can all support And I think that leadership can move us through hate and prejudice bad faith arguments And we need it. Thank you Thank you the next public comment will be Excuse me lee followed by maribi then tess Hi, i'm lee and i'm here in solidarity with my palestinian community members and my anti-zionist jewish community members in calling for you as the city council representing your constituents to to Put on the agenda a ceasefire and sign a ceasefire agreement I want to also make sure you're aware that this is not without precedence during the vietnam war It was local communities like ours that signed anti-war Statements so that they could be heard we could be heard There is an overwhelming majority of citizens in the united states in the united states who are calling for a ceasefire We are watching as white supremacist languaging is used to Somehow dehumanize palestinian lives. We are watching the exact same thing happen that happened during um apartheid south africa when the same exact language of white supremacy that is being used today to defend the israel government it was used to defend the white supremacist african government against Who were? Supporting of apar apartheid so here we are again Once again history is repeating ourselves once again. We are here as community members all over the entire country asking for our local community members to stand with us Call for a ceasefire call for an end of the occupation call for for ending of the killing and calling for Also, just let's also it stop defunding us stop defunding our schools our roads Everything good stop defunding everything good and ceasefire Thank you. The next public comment will be from maribi followed by teslin kelsey Hello, my name is maribi mendoza. Um, i'm a resident of san aroza.  It was the one place netanyahu said everyone would be safe Just go there. You'll be safe. Go south go south They bombed it super bowl sunday When all americans were busy watching the super bowl, they bombed rafa It has one 1.5 million people primarily children They're in intense Conditions where they're being starved humanitarian aid is not being let in All we're asking for is for you to uplift our voices and ask for a ceasefire. I think everyone in this room Is for a ceasefire even if we don't agree on everything Why why would we want the numbers to double 35,000 people have died in gaza? That's almost 12,500 children have died in gaza. I have their bodies on my phone. I can show you Um, so that's pretty much it. I wanted to say this is the 129th day of genocide A genocide is different from a war palestinian people. They don't have an army to represent them They have a resistant occupation group Okay, occupation with occupation comes resistance an action leads to a reaction That's all we can say about that. Of course any life being killed is a horror. No more lives should be taken. Please Please just call for a ceasefire join the many cities here in california and across the united states that are calling for an end to violence Please thank you Thank you. The next speaker will be test followed by kelsey than julia So my name is test caldwell. I was born in the city of santa rosa and I still live here today I have with me two letters from two children 10 year old lucas And 11 year old luna.  She was six years old.  This is happening on our dime cast a ceasefire resolution now Thank you. The next speaker will be kelsey followed by julia than karen My name is kelsey vero and i've also lived in centers of my whole life I'm here to ask that the city council adopt a resolution for a ceasefire In gauze and it to put it on the agenda without delay and to recognize that it is important to your Constituents and your community members and therefore it is relevant to the city council's work Um, we recognize that some things are a moral imperative that some things are for history And that this is one of those things that has no middle ground and no compromise We must unite for a call For an end to this nightmare that has horrified us and stay in this horror to fuel our action To take a side on this and to increase the pressure on our federal government until it becomes impossible to continue With this genocide It seems impossible that we are here to have to say that there is no excuse And no legitimate reason To per to do a genocide that that is the ultimate statement that we are trying to make and that no other argument Can be made and we must Say that as loud and as often as we can until it is not happening anymore Um, there's no time for discussion in part because there will be no people left at the end I've heard lots of conversations about what the future might hold but if the people are being killed Like this if they're going to starve If they're going to die of disease if not from our own bombs, there is no future to discuss So ceasefire now Thank you. The next public comment will be from julia followed by caron than lev Hi, thank you. My name is julia rapkin. I work for the county of sonoma I'm a member and steward and sciu 10 to 1 and a delegate to the north bay labor council I wanted to let you know that unions across this country are standing up and speaking out for a ceasefire in gaza many national and local unions including the united auto workers postal workers national nurses united committee of interns and residents food and commercial workers teachers professors sciu Hotel and restaurant workers and even the afl cio has come out for ceasefire local unions and labor organizations such as my union sciu 10 to 1 unite here local 2 And the north bay labor council have now called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in gaza Why is ceasefire a union issue because unions fight for solidarity for working people for ordinary people The old slogan goes an injury to one is an injury to all As public sector workers are counterparts in gaza have virtually no more public services due to not only the constant israeli bombardment But the complete siege which prevents all food water medicine and fuel from entering gaza What possible justification can there be for bombing ambulances and rescue workers? We all know our public services here in the us are incredibly underfunded and people die in our streets here Because they don't have access to the services they need and yet the senate Yesterday last week voted for 95 billion dollars in more military spending. I mean Why aren't we putting that money into the services we need that's If if nothing else is a clear local issue, that's a clear local issue, right? And so hospital workers are getting active walking out of their workplaces attending rallies ceasefire is people are not Have to are declaring the majority not going to vote for demigods Thank you. The next speaker will be karen followed by lev then susan For seventh i haven't felt safe every sunday morning my family and i participate in a program called run for their lives Which involves a peaceful 20 minute walk in downtown santa rosa The reason we walk is to release the hostages held in gaza Unfortunately during these walks people often scream at us On one occasion i even recorded a video of this They're yelling makes me feel like i've done something wrong like i'm a criminal Thankfully many cars honk and support as we walk I don't understand the hate directed toward us They shout things like zinus and genocide supporter while showing their middle fingers As an 11 year old this is extremely frightening Even at my hebrew school we now have security guards and i must be escorted to class which was not the case a year ago I urge the city council to address this jewish hatred All i'm asking for is to be allowed to live without fear. Thank you Thank you. The next speaker will be lev followed by susan I want to thank the city council For their focus on our city needs and not trying to solve an international conflict That can only lead to feeding anger and bringing more divide within our community Why would a city council discuss a ceasefire with the terrorist organization that has broken every previous ceasefire agreement kill raped and mutilated innocent civilians The people advocating for ceasefire are not advocating for release of hostages And hamad surrender their slogan is from the river to the sea Their symbol is a watermelon in the shape of israel's map Their hamad sympathizers were just tools of iran and russia as nancy pilosi recently asked fbi to look into that connection This people are looking for a final solution a middle east without a democratic jewish state And to those who protest against israel in the chambers I asked Where were you when syrians yemenis darfurians were being killed? What does that motivate you to protest so furiously now? I think the answer can be found in the fact that Anti-semitic attacks have reached shocking levels in the u.s According to adl from october 7th until october 23rd Anti-semitic incidents rose by about 400 percent It is hatred to jews hatred of israel and support of hamas a group designated as a terrorist organization That motivates you it's time to acknowledge and speak the truth Inaccurate and one-sided resolution will not solve the conflict or bring us any closer to peace Our elected officials are involved in complex negotiations Our cia director is in kairu right now meeting with all the parties pushing for gaza truce and hostage release Let's thank you the next speaker will be susan Susan lamont as santa rosa district two More than 20 years ago People went to the city council and asked to have a discussion on the patriot act They wanted the city council to say it did not support the patriot act because it gutted the human and civil rights of americans They agreed to put it on the agenda And this place was packed. It was out the door And after everyone spoke The mayor actually said we've heard you And we know better than you And as a result Permanently as far as we know our rights have been gutted Now that was a shameful period for the city council, but they at least put it on the agenda You haven't done that Hamas exists for one reason And that is because of 75 years of killing Dispossession and oppression Wouldn't exist otherwise The question has been asked What would gaza look like without hamas? The answer is it would look like the west bank Where in the first nine months of 2023 Israel killed more than 200 people palestinians It took hamas sadly To make this a worldwide issue to make americans care about this The great philosopher cornell west said Human rights are what love looks like in public You have a chance to show your love for your Citizens your residents And for the whole world of oppressed people. Thank you Thank you. Is there anyone else in the chamber wishing to provide public comment on this item? Please line up in an orderly fashion at the podiums We'll start at the west lectern We'll start at the west lectern. Please go ahead. Um, I would like to offer you each flowers as a symbolism Of the children who have passed away in gaza Are you willing to accept that? Or is that something that we can do here? Unfortunately, we're not going to do we're not going to do back and forth or in public comment So just continue may I present may I present not at this time? Please continue your comment. Okay Well as um a child of this earth. I am here also to support a ceasefire and um Also to remind you that uh november is coming up very quickly Hopefully we have reached some sort of a resolution by then and we've all come to our senses But I do want to remind you that you Are up for reelection and the people are speaking and we are paying attention and we are rightfully upset And if you are not upset you have not been paying attention So if you would like to maintain your position of power um Remember that you get that from the people I wish you all loving your hearts and the resilience and the strength That the palestinian people bring us A quick follow-up if you'd like to leave the flowers at with at the desk in the corner that that is possible. Thank you very much Thank you. We'll move to the speaker on the east lectern char canana 20 year resident of san rosa district five uh I would just like to Well, there's so many things I want to say So I just have to pick something but Uh, I want to urge you to do your research on These claims that we've been hearing all day Do the research. I know it's hard It it breaks my heart. I wake up every morning and I'm forced I'm forced to open my computer and read the news and watch the terrible Uh videos And all that and yet we hear all these Lies that have been disproven many many times But as we know if we talk loud there It becomes the truth Uh another thing that the claim And and this is something personal the claim that Calling for a ceasefire calling for for life to continue Is something anti-semitic It's something hateful is not true. I'm a palestinian. I grew up in palestine I live there and I know it. I'm in constant contact Uh every day I see you see how many Jewish people came up here and spoke today I see that every palestinian sees that and they say Please keep doing what you're saying We know what you're saying And please keep on doing it Thank you. The next speaker can come to the podium for the item. All right We're going to move to the public comments on zoom if there are no additional public comments from Um The chamber Okay, we'll go over to the east or the west sector and please go ahead Are you ready? Because I think there are some more people in the room that would like to speak So yeah, my name is junber shares and I just want to remind you that the united nations has stated that more than 12 000 children have been killed And estimates 17 000 children Have been left unaccompanied orphan separated from their families and this is after october 7th That this has been happening and I wanted to quote Some excerpts from the speech that senator bernie sanders made today in the u.s senate He said right now today in gaza. We are witnessing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history It is unfolding before our very eyes and we must not run away from that reality 1.7 million people have been driven from their homes Nearly 80 of the population Pushed out of their homes hungry the devastation caused by Israeli bombardment is unprecedented in modern history Some 70 of the housing units have been damaged and destroyed He continues and saying if nothing changes We will soon have hundreds of thousands of children literally starving to death before our eyes And believe it or not the situation could become even worse What is happening in gaza now is funded by us taxpayer dollars These are our bombs and our military equipment that is being used. We are complicit And I'd say to you that you know, you may come to see this is the most significant Defining issue of our lifetime We don't want that But it is here. It is upon us And it's not just the silence that makes one complicit in the gaza genocide But also the lack of acting to assert what leverage we each have So I ask you to assert that leverage and pass a ceasefire resolution Thank you the next speaker in the room if you'd like to make a way to the podium I just want to say Please listen to palestinians Please listen To the arab and palestinians people palestinian people living in this community living in santa rosa Several of them have spoken tonight And I really hope that their words sink in for you People are hurting They're afraid for their lives And you all have a responsibility To listen to your constituents Thank you Thank you. Are there any other speakers in chamber who would like to provide public comment? Please line up at the podiums and you can stagger from podium the west to the east east west to the east. Thank you Please go ahead Hi, my name is roni man I have lived in sonoma county in my whole life and i'm a disappointed to be an american citizen The dehumanization of palestine of palestinians has been very prevalent in this chamber And it's one of 10 stages stages of genocide It's not even a question that a genocide is happening and our complicity and aid is appalling As a mexican-american i'm no stranger to see Uh a community of color stereotyped to the point of fear and as i mean the persecution Of this community. I can't believe that palestinians still have to prove their humanity This disgusting behavior and our complicities got us to this point I am so tired of the united states living in this protective bubble when we're the ones funding this genocide We've already presented a ceasefire resolution and we're ready to work together. So what's stopping us from moving forward What's stopping us from on the right from standing on the right side of history? I am also an active community member and I want to echo a fellow constituent Who shared that local issues extend to our relatives across the sea To stand by palestine is to stand by mother earth Do right by humanity speak up on behalf of your constituents and call for a ceasefire now Thank you next speaker, please Okay, thank you. We're going to move to our public commenters on zoom I'm going to turn it over to our zoom host deputy city clerk ronda Please take it away Thank you. We will start with hannah followed by diana and then alan Hannah, please go ahead when you're ready Hi there, um, I want to keep it really short because I know everybody has already said everything that I feel in my heart I just want to say genocide is a local issue if we cannot stand unified against genocide What can we stand unified on? This is a community and this is the city council for a community that is asking for you to adopt and adopt a ceasefire resolution No ceasefire no votes Consider that next time Thank you Diana will be followed by alan and then tabie diana go ahead when you're ready Good evening. My name is diana kingsbury and I'm a voter in santa rosa's fifth district represented by chris rogers I'm calling for the santa rosa city council to put a ceasefire resolution on the agenda and to pass it A majority of voters in the us already support a ceasefire We demand a ceasefire now for our santa rosa community members from palestine And to make it easier for more cities across the country to do the same so we can end this genocide from the grassroots up Thank you Thank you. Diana alan will be followed by tabie and then dax Alan, please go ahead when you're ready Hello, my name is alan wolves, and I'm a lifelong resident of santa rosa and an age scientist who whose family also fled here from the pogroms in ukraine You've already heard in prior meetings and will likely hear in future ones People from the jewish community relations council speaking out against the city council passing a ceasefire resolution This group has been going to meetings of every government body in the bay area that is possibly considering any ceasefire resolution One of their argument is that governments should only focus on local issues, which is quite ironic considering that this is not a local organization They're claiming to speak for jews who are concerned about a rise in anti-semitism if a resolution were to be passed This is nothing but manufactured fear mongering The rise in actual anti-semitism lately has been driven by white supremacists Who have nothing to do with ceasefire resolutions that anyone has put forward? What is being called anti-semitic is any criticism of the state of israel This argument itself is very anti-semitic as it insinuates that only zionists are real jews Which attempts to erase the judaism of roughly 1.5 million jews in america alone according to the pew research center Who do not believe in a direct tie between judaism and zionism? An argument i keep hearing put forward is that jews are afraid of what will happen if we pass the ceasefire resolution I do not believe that we should be dictating public policy based on the unfounded fears of groups with racism at their core White supremacists are afraid of any non-white people taking over but we don't give in to them and pass resolutions based upon that fear During the super bowl the state of israel started bombing rafa the last remaining refuge for millions of displaced palestinian refugees as an ongoing genocide Every week that goes by without a ceasefire resolution is another week in which we are complicit in genocide Our collective silence on the issue is telling please introduce and pass the ceasefire resolution without further delay No ceasefire no vote TV will be followed by dax and then margaret TV go ahead when you're ready Members uh, this is shon tv levin light shon tv tornado members of the santa rosa city council We find ourselves on a landmark by contradictions A nation with the curb appeal of a grand mansion yet a foundation echoing the neglect of slum lord We are surrounded by narratives carefully curated fed to us to maintain a system that keeps many oppressed as we stand here It's crucial to acknowledge the intricate history of this land where indigenous palmo to indigenous filipino Were sold to sonoma county's plantation complex I as first generation come voting have roots from a people who survived genocide witnessing the relentless cycle of abuse Across generations the violence persists and the question bags has the narrative truly changed Our struggles are intertwined transcending borders and cultures to truly break free We must recognize that liberation for one is in connect interconnected with the liberation of all today. I Speak before you not just as the first generation Cambodian who grew up in roseland, but as a voice urging solidarity demanding liberation for palestine and an immediate ceasefire For we are not truly free unless all of us are free It is time to dismantle the wall that divide and unite in a collective pursuit of justice Santa rosa as the largest city north of san francisco holds significantly in these matters Yet its complacency and the violence of palestinians speaks volumes It's time for our city to rise up to speak out and to demand that our government represents its residents and calling for a ceasefire an end to the bloodshed I urge you council members to heed this call for justice that stand on the right side of history And to use your platform to advocate for peace equality the dignity of all peoples actual dei work Next will be dax followed by margaret and then maria Dax please go ahead when you're ready Hi, I'd like to mostly address My fellow attendees in the crowd and so hopefully they can hear me um, and I would just Like to reiterate for folks who are hoping that san rosa city council will do the right thing and that they will listen to you that They will not they have no interest in doing so they had no interest in doing so in 2020 in 2021 any other time that we have come to them and asked them to do the right thing uh, san rosa city council has a Common theme of putting their heads down and looking at the table and not engaging with their constituents um, they have no interest in doing so and I doubt that they ever will um Tragic, but that's how it goes. It's a panel of spineless people So I would love for them to prove me wrong, but I very much doubt it instead. I would like to Suggest to you all in the audience that there are people who may be more receptive to your concerns and your complaints and your issues with Israel committing genocide in Palestine And it may also indicate to you why members of the san rosa city council would be hesitant to do so um, there is Free businesses in the county that contribute directly to the israeli genocidal effort um, one of them is sonoma photonics which supplies north of grumman with Essential materials that is located on one seven five zero north point parkway in santa rosa There's another company l3 to harris technology that provides f35 parts Uh, we've sold a bunch of f35s to israel. That is that four two eight aviation boulevard number 1069 in santa rosa And up in yieldsburg. We also have the general dynamics ordinance and tactical systems office at At rove street. These are all places that supply and fund the genocidal war effort um, israel killing thousands and thousands of palestinians, so maybe tell them what you think of uh, How they spend their time and what to do for Except for will be margaret followed by maria Margaret, please go ahead when you're ready Hi, can you hear me? Okay. Yes, we can Hi, um, my name is margaret. I'm a sonoma county resident A mother a wife a human And witnessing atrocities hourly has compelled me to stop being silent in this forum I'm glad that the impact of this has reached into the deepest places in my heart In my bones and my soul Because that is the way that we as humans should react when we witness this kind of suffering and obliteration I totally reject the idea that supporting the end of an apartheid An occupation of palestine I reject I reject that assertion That it's an anti-semitic position To believe that is to live in an upside down world Disconnected from our common humanity It is hard to watch and witness Alongside real suffering and a level of trauma that is unrelenting There is profound suffering every split second And I urge you to act before it is too late to get onto the right side of history. Thank you Except it's maria followed by hugo and then katrine maria, please go ahead when you're ready Hi, I'm speaking tonight as a resident of santa rosa council district one to urge you to adopt a ceasefire resolution In light of sunday's attack on rafa and left feeling distraught I'll be sworn in as an attorney in less than two weeks and Working in housing justice and civil rights here in sonoma county And I feel the fight for rights in our own neighborhood Is intrinsically linked to the fight for civil rights around the world I weep for hindra job and all the innocent lives lost since october 7th the escalating violence Will only lead to the loss of more innocent lives for palestinians and israelis and anyone else in the area Each day that passes without a ceasefire violently steals life from innocent people We in santa rosa must stand on the right side of history and act as an example for peace before it's too late I'm at a loss as to why you hesitate to speak on an issue that will cost you truly nothing to address If you think this is not a local matter you're mistaken anyone in santa rosa who's paying attention will not forget your silence I urge you to adopt the ceasefire resolution now Next up is hugo followed by katrine and then esther Hugo, please go ahead when you're ready Thank you Good evening. Thank you for giving everyone who can be there in person at the council a way to express ourselves We really appreciate it. I'm sure I'm a resident of santa rosa in the fifth district and I'm urging For a ceasefire resolution Not tomorrow not next week But now or chris rogers if you want my vote you really need to act on this And other than this I just would like to say to all of our jewish friends that if you Feel worried and scared You must know that if you ever were in a situation of oppression The way the palestinian people is right now we would fight for you with the same rage So this is not a religious issue. We support you and we love you as a community and yeah, I just That's what I want to say tonight. Thank you Thank you Next up is katrine followed by esther and then joshua Please go ahead when you're ready. Hi. Good evening to the council members and friends. This is katrine siapa I want to keep this very brief on the santa rosa resident And I want to echo All the colors and speakers before me who have called On the santa rosa city council to about the ceasefire resolution now Please This is the thing to do as human beings Witnessing the atrocities that have been happening In israel and palestine We need to put a stop to this now and the way to do this is to adopt a ceasefire resolution now I stand with our jewish and palestinian community members who are calling For our last thing just peace in the middle east And that is only going to happen if we call for a ceasefire now and we get everybody to the table and we Work together to find a peaceful solution Please adopt a ceasefire resolution now to save the lives of everybody In palestine israel in the future and to save the children. Please please Thank you Next is esther followed by joshua and then robin esther, please go ahead when you're ready My name is esther and i'm a jew and a junior at maria korea high school a local school in santa rosa Unfortunately, I don't have time to tell you about how i've been to the south of israel I've seen the bomb shelters in preschools I don't have time to tell you how I went to pull in this year and saw where millions of my people were murdered And how i'm terrified every day that it will happen again I don't have time to explain to you the intricacies of the israeli palestine conflict and the historical facts that date back 2000 years I don't even have time to explain how hamas has the opportunity to bring up permanencies fire tomorrow By releasing hundreds of hostages and giving up the rule over the people of gaza yet. They persist openly promising to repeat their atrocities of october 7th that haunt every jew in the world This war is affecting everyone Even in santa rosa antisemitism has been on the rise with kids in my own school doing hitler sleuths Drawing swastikas and even my own principal being afraid for the safety of students supporting the release of hostages But a ceasefire won't solve these problems As the washington post jennifer rubin wrote earlier this month Unless and until hamas is eliminated as a military force in gaza none of this is possible Hamas is the terrorist organization that does not have the palestine's interests in mind They will not be negotiated with don't forget. There was a ceasefire in effect on october 6 Please don't bring the ceasefire resolution to the agenda. Thank you Except it's joshua followed by robin and then edison joshua, please go ahead when you're ready hey there My name is josh. I was just like thinking about how I was thinking about like genocides in the past And you know, I want to think of myself as someone who would like Fight back in a situation like that maybe even like you know You know, I would I'd want to be fighting, you know, I want to say like hey There's an evil force there and I'd be the guy on the ground fighting because there's an evil force at play But I but like All people are asking you all to do is Do a resolution where you just like say hey, we are in favor Of one thing it can be a sentence long if you're having trouble writing that resolution it can really just be like whereas Santa Rosa city is not important supportive genocide therefore be it resolved That we are in favor of a ceasefire in the current Israeli Palestinian conflict.  I don't think we're Going to be hearing from robin I'm seeing no additional hands raised to provide public comment via zoom Thank you. All right, we're going to close public comment Thank you to everyone for coming out and taking the time and thank you for your patience There are no further items on the agenda, so we will adjourn