Hollister city council members arrived at Tuesday’s meeting ready for combat.
Most of a standing-room-only crowd of 200 showed up to plead with their elected representatives for peace.
As the council considered a proposal to formally censure Councilmember Rolan Resendiz for repeated negative social media posts, 15 speakers asked the council to work together and drop all censure motions.
“The community wants apologies and reconciliation, to see the city council work together,” pleaded Mary Hsia-Coron.
The council was having none of it.
Following more than an hour of interruptions, accusations and incriminations, the Jan. 21 council discussion ended with Vice Mayor Marty Richman, Councilmember (and mayoral candidate) Honor Spencer and Councilmember Carol Lenoir voting to censure Resendiz “for a gender-based slur and for suggesting there was a sexual and promiscuous relationships between council members.” The censure motion, which carries no consequences, was proposed by Spencer and Richman.
Resendiz and Mayor Ignacio Velazquez voted against the measure.
The same council majority then voted to table until Feb. 18 a resolution proposed by Velazquez to censure Richman and Spencer “for the use of profanity, harassment, bullying and threatening of other council members.”
Richman said he wants to hear sworn testimony on that censure motion.
