A diverse group of El Cerrito residents are demanding that the El Cerrito City Council pass a resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.
So why isn’t the council listening?
In multiple surveys over 60% of Americans and over 80% of Democrats support a cease fire in Gaza to end a genocide that has killed over 28,000 Palestians including over 10,000 children. Another 17,000 children are now orphans. The horrors get worse every day. Hundreds of El Cerrito residents have spoken up for a ceasefire but the city council refuses to bring up the matter.
Unfortunately the main obstacle to the council opening formal debate of a ceasefire resolution is my fellow Jew, Mayor Tessa Rudnick. Under El Cerrito rules, the mayor controls the city council agenda. Multiple sources have told us, in confidence, that Mayor Rudnick refuses to add a ceasefire resolution to the agenda. Councilpersons Wysinger and Quito have not returned emails from constituents nor met with residents on this issue. Two council members took the time to meet but would not introduce anything without the mayor taking the lead.
The mayor has a clear conflict of interest, she is a Regional Chair of the Bay Area Network of Jewish Officials (BANJO) part of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) and she participated in a heavily subsidized JCRC propaganda visit to Israel. JCRC is focused on supporting the State of Israel and is actively opposing ceasefire resolutions. Their talking points directly mirror hers.
Mayor Rudnick’s refusal to allow a resolution to be added to the agenda is a violation of Section II of El Cerrito’s Administrative Policies and Rules of Order and Procedure which requires that council members “Endeavor to treat all members of the public and issues before them in a fair and equitable manner.” At the January 16 meeting the mayor limited public comments on a ceasefire resolution. According to the Brown Act, Section 54954.3 (B) (1) the council may adopt rules limiting time for public comments and limiting the length of individual comments. The mayor unilaterally imposed limits without seeking approval of the full council, knowing that such limits would directly exclude some there to speak. City councils in Alameda, Richmond, Albany, San Francisco and Oakland, allowed all citizens who so desired to address this issue regardless of which side they supported. As a result of the mayor’s actions, everyone in the room speaking against a ceasefire resolution got to speak, but some of my friends supporting the resolution were denied time to speak.
El Cerrito has a history of passing resolutions on human rights issues, most recently condemning Russian attacks on Ukraine. They also passed resolutions against South African Apartheid and annually commemorate the Tibetan Uprising against China. The city council chamber has a Black Lives Matter sign, an LGBTQ+ flag and a sign saying “El Cerrito Stands United Against Hate”. This inconsistency lays bare a disconcerting question: do we only oppose hate and violence when it is politically convenient?
There is a genocide going on in Gaza, funded with our tax dollars. 2.2 million Palestinians are being starved and denied medications and health services. Don’t they deserve our support? Is the life of a Ukrainian worth more than the life of a Palestinian? If many members of the community are calling for something to be done, is it not the duty of the city council to act?
It is time for Mayor Rudnick to recuse herself and for the remaining city council members to do the right thing and pass a ceasefire resolution now. It is incumbent upon all of us in El Cerrito to demand action, to stand united against hate and violence, and to support a ceasefire in Gaza without delay.
Seth Morrison is a Jewish antizionist activist living in El Cerrito, CA. He retired from a career in cable television marketing and product development.
Seth Morrison
El Cerrito, CA 94530
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