| (Aug. 18, 2021, 10:10 a.m.) -- As seen LIVE, the City Council voted 6-1 (Supernaw dissenting, Mungo and Uranga not present. with Mungo materializing a few minutes later) to request the City Attorney to draft a resolution in opposition to the recall of Governor Newsom. The Council item was agendized by Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, joined by Councilmembers Cindy Allen, Mary Zendejas and Suely Saro.
Lead agendizer Richardson spoke in support, joined by co-agendizer Allen. In dissent, Councilman Daryl Supernaw said he'd taken an oath of office three times as a Councilmember to uphold the constitution of the state of CA, noted the recall process is specified in the CA constitution and said "I believe that supporting this resolution would be a clear violation of my oath of office. Therefore I'll be voting in opposition." City Attorney Charles Parkin (who took the same oath as Supernaw) said nothing on the issue raised by Supernaw or the Richardson-Allen-Zendejas-Saro agendizing memo's assertion that "Although cities cannot take positions in candidate elections, the recall is a ballot measure, not a candidate election [and] It is within the City’s legal rights to take a position on a ballot measure that will impact our residents." No persons or groups offered any public comment, pro or con. The LB Area Republcans' president, Ben Goldberg, is no longer a LB resident (having moved to OC) and is former LB City Hall appointee to LB's Parks/Recreation Commission. Mr. Goldberg is an outspoken supporter of recall election candidate Larry Elder whose campaign will fail if the recall election fails as urged by the Council item...but Mr. Goldberg didn't speak on the Council item, nor did any members of his group. [Mr. Goldberg has an unbroken record of not once spanning multiple years publicly testifying in opposition to any Council item favored by the then-incumbent Mayors, Councilmembers or city staff (including tax and fee increases, budgeted spending, land use policies and other policy items.] Councilman Stacy Mungo (the Council's only declared Republican) was absent from the start of the Council meeting and entered the Council Chamber after the Council vote on the anti-recall item. She is first visible on City video two items after the anti-recall item. LB's Municipal Code section 2.03.050 specifies that "Except when a conflict of interest exists and abstention is required by State law, every member of the Council who is present when a roll is called shall vote for or against the question, unless excused by a majority of the members present, prior to the calling of the roll on such question." It's a matter of speculation why Councilwoman Mungo wasn't present when the roll was called but her absence allowed her to avoid a recorded vote.. The agendized action was "Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft a resolution in opposition to the Recall Election of the Governor of California." The agendizing memo doesn't mention Newsom's name. It recites recent Democrat partisan talking points, including criticism of CA's recall process itself. [Scroll down for further.] |      |
