Could affect outcomes in close races

By Allen D. Payton

As of Thursday afternoon, Nov. 5, 2026, the Contra Costa Elections office announced there are 184,200 unprocessed ballots remaining to be counted in the county from Tuesday’s election.

Also, they announced the next results update is expected to be provided Friday afternoon, Nov. 6 at 4:00 p.m.

The remaining ballots could affect the outcome of several close races in the county including the Antioch City Council District 1 and Antioch School Board Area 5 Trustee races.

Currently challenger and former Councilwoman Joy Motts leads incumbent Tamisha Torres-Walker in the council race and incumbent Mary Rocha leads challenger Brandon Dawkins in the school board race. (See related article)

Following is the breakdown of the Estimated number of unprocessed ballots:

Ballots voted at a voting location – 200

Vote-by-mail ballots received on or before Election Day – 165,000

Vote-by-mail ballots received after Election Day – 12,000

Provisional ballots – 500

Conditional Voter Registration Provisional ballots – 4,000

Other (In Review, Damaged) – 2,000

Total – 184,200

Next Results Expected (date and time): Friday, 11/6/2026 – 4:00 PM.

As of Wednesday morning’s update at 12:12 AM, a total of 280,686 ballots had been counted, out of 733,037 registered voters in the county. The remaining ballots make up almost 40 percent of the total 464,886 estimated ballots cast. They don’t include ballots that can still arrive by next Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. that were mailed and postmarked this past Tuesday.

But “thousands of ballots” in the county, as many as “40 to 50 percent of all ballots” remain to be counted

By Allen D. Payton

As of 12:12 AM Wednesday morning, the results from Election Night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, show two incumbents and one challenger leading in their respective races for the Antioch City Council and School Board. In the District 4 Antioch City Council race, incumbent Monica Wilson appears to be headed for reelection as she has a wide lead over her three opponents, and in the Trustee Area 5 race for the Antioch School Board, incumbent Mary Rocha is leading challenger and newcomer, Brandon Dawkins. In the other city council race in District 1, former Councilwoman Joy Motts is leading incumbent Tamisha Torres-Walker in their third match-up in as many elections. All three started in the lead since the initial returns were posted Tuesday night.

The information is based on the “Unofficial Results – Election Night Final” by the Contra Costa Elections office, with “100% of Precincts Reporting”. However, the numbers only include ballots cast at early polling places beginning last Friday, on Election Day, or received in the mail or picked up from the 43 drop boxes throughout the county by Monday.

According to Elections office staff on Wednesday, there are still “thousands and thousands of ballots” remaining to be counted. That’s because those were placed in the 43 drop boxes, including two in Antioch on Tuesday. The staff member said they were surprised at how many ballots were dropped off yesterday and they had to conduct at least two rounds of pick-ups. Elections office staff picked up ballots from the drop boxes which were full yesterday morning, then went out and picked up more throughout the day as they filled up again.

“We were out all day. They came to the office and emptied them and went back out to pick up more,” said Elections office spokesperson Dawn Kruger. Those don’t include the ballots mailed and postmarked by 5:00 p.m. yesterday which can still arrive by next Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. “About 40 to 50 percent of the total ballots usually come on and just after Election Day,” she stated.

District 4 Council Race

The Election Night results show Wilson has 2,429 votes or 44.07 percent of the vote and third-time challenger Sandra White in a distant second with 1,594 votes or 28.92 percent. In third place is newcomer Matty Matthews Alappat with 904 votes, or 16.5 percent of the vote, serving as a spoiler to White, and local homeless and affordable housing advocate, Andrew Becker, also running for office for the first time, in fourth place with just 585 votes or 10.61 percent. In response to the initial results, White said, “I’m not running for local office, again.”

School Board Trustee Area 5 Race

In the Antioch School Board Trustee Area 5 race the latest results show Rocha has increased her lead by the number of votes but decreased in percentage over Dawkins. She now has 1,795 votes or 58.79 percent to his 1,258 votes or 41.21 percent of the vote. When reached for comment Tuesday night about possibly being reelected Rocha said simply, “It’s too early to tell.”

District 1 Council Race

Finally, in the District 1 Council race, the latest results show Motts maintaining her lead over Torres-Walker, but it had narrowed with each of the two updates. The challenger and former councilwoman now has 1,795 votes – matching Rocha’s current vote count – or 54.16 percent of the vote and Torres-Walker has 1,519 votes or 45.84 percent of the vote. So, the challenger has a current lead of 276 votes over the incumbent.

This is the third time they’ve faced each other, with Torres-Walker unseating Motts in 2020 by 212 votes, then barely beating her in 2022 by just four votes. But both of those races included a third candidate, former Councilman Manny Soliz in 2020 and former School Board Trustee Diane Gibson-Gray in 2022, splitting the vote and allowing Torres-Walker to be elected and reelected with just 36.2 and 34.4 percent of the vote, respectively.

Although she “fully intended to run again” Gibson-Gray later announced in August she would not run, which allowed a head-to-head race between just the current and former councilwomen.

To project what could happen with the remaining ballots based on the turnout four years ago when there were 4,622 votes cast in the District 1 race, plus, a 4.4 percent increase in voter registration countywide since then, that would assume 4,825 total votes were cast in this year’s race. Out of the 1,511 additional assumed votes, Torres-Walker would have to receive 59.2% percent of the remaining votes or 894 votes to 617 for Motts to catch up and take the lead by one vote. However, the incumbent only picked up 54.8 percent of the 429 additional votes in the second update, and 57.2 percent of the 152 votes in the third and final, smaller update last night. But it is still a possibility.

In response to the results and the narrowing vote gap, Motts said Tuesday night, “We’ve been here, before. So, it’s still too soon to know.”

Voter Registration, Next Update & Certification Date

According to Kruger, there are 67,753 registered voters in the city of Antioch and 70,079 in the Antioch Unified School District which has different boundaries than the city.

They don’t know yet how many ballots remain to be counted, but expect to have an update by Thursday afternoon, she shared. “We prepared everything last night so we could put the ballots through the sorter, start checking signatures and we can get through as much of it be Friday,” Kruger added. “That’s our plan.”

According to the schedule on the Elections office website, the Target Certification / Final Results are projected for Dec. 3rd.

“251 individuals are experiencing homelessness in Antioch”

During their meeting on Tuesday night, Oct. 27, 2026, the Antioch City Council unanimously approved the following proclamation:

WHEREAS, November is recognized nationally as Homelessness Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of homelessness, recognize the experiences and challenges faced by adults, youth, young adults and families experiencing housing instability, and reaffirm our shared commitment to preventing and ending homelessness, and to mobilize community-wide efforts toward lasting solutions; and

WHEREAS, according to the 2026 Point-In-Time Count, an estimated 2,260 individuals are experiencing homelessness on a given night in Contra Costa County, and 251 individuals are experiencing homelessness in Antioch; and

WHEREAS, since 2020, Contra Costa County has seen an 79% increase in households with minor children, a 69% increase in seniors aged 65+, and a 53% increase in Transition Aged Youth (ages 18–24) accessing homeless services, and in 2026 in Contra Costa County, there were only 4,427 temporary and permanent housing beds for persons experiencing homelessness, a stark shortfall compared to the scale of need across our communities, and;

WHEREAS, the City of Antioch recognizes that every person deserves dignity, compassion, and the opportunity to live in safe, stable, and affordable housing, and that addressing homelessness requires collaboration, prevention, community engagement, and access to supportive services; and

WHEREAS, the City of Antioch recognizes the important contributions of local service providers, nonprofit organizations, volunteers, faith-based organizations, community partners, and residents who work to support individuals experiencing homelessness and strengthen our community; and

WHEREAS, the City of Antioch encourages residents, businesses, community organizations, and public agencies to increase awareness, promote understanding, challenge stigma, and work collaboratively to identify solutions that prevent homelessness, and expand access to housing and improve the well-being of all members of our community; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON BERNAL, Mayor of the City of Antioch, hereby proclaim November 2026 as HOMELESSNESS AWARENESS MONTH in the City of Antioch and encourage all residents to join in raising awareness, fostering compassion, supporting local efforts, and working together to prevent and end homelessness in our community.

OCTOBER 27, 2026

RON BERNAL, Mayor

During their meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Antioch City Council unanimously approved the following proclamation:

WHEREAS, October is nationally recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and aims to raise awareness and to educate about breast health and breast cancer, which is a leading cause of death in women in the United States;

WHEREAS, October is also the month that recognizes the many survivors, those living with metastatic breast cancer, their supporters and loved ones, and honors those lives lost to the disease;

WHEREAS, the history of Breast Cancer Awareness Month began in 1985 as a week-long awareness campaign by the American Cancer Society and it eventually extended to a month-long event, and the pink ribbon came into play in 1992;

WHEREAS, the month of October aims to promote screening and reduce the risk of the disease, which affects 2.3 million women worldwide. For these women, the impact of breast cancer extends well beyond the single month of awareness;

WHEREAS, breast cancer affects men too. In 2021, October 17 to October 23 was designated as “Men’s Breast Cancer Awareness Week”. According to the American Cancer Society, about 2,800 men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2025. But lack of awareness and stigma can be barriers to detection and care in men, trans men, and non-binary people; and

WHEREAS, this October, we want to make Breast Cancer Awareness Month more than just about awareness. This October, we encourage more involvement to get screened and take action since early detection of breast cancer is often key to successful outcome.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON BERNAL, Mayor of the City of Antioch, hereby proclaim that October 2026 is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”.

OCTOBER 27, 2026

RON BERNAL, Mayor

During their meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the Antioch City Council unanimously approved the following proclamation:

WHEREAS, October 1992 was the first time Filipino American History Month was celebrated in the United States. In 2009, U.S. Congress declared October as Filipino American History Month, and in 2015, President Obama celebrated the first Filipino American History Month at the White House;

WHEREAS, understanding the history of Filipino people in the United States is an important part of celebrating Filipino American History Month;

WHEREAS, the first recorded presence of Filipinos in the continental United States occurred on October 18, 1587, when “Luzones Indios” came ashore from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Esperanza and landed at what is now Morro Bay, California;

WHEREAS, Filipino Americans are the second largest Asian American group in the nation and the third largest ethnic group in California;

WHEREAS, Filipino American History Month is an opportunity to highlight the economic, cultural, social, and other notable contributions Filipino Americans have made in countless ways toward the development of United States history;

WHEREAS, the contributions of Filipino Americans have enhanced the freedom and prosperity America continues to enjoy today;

WHEREAS, the customs and traditions of Filipino Americans are respected and celebrated as part of the rich history of our city, state, and nation; and

WHEREAS, the late Peter Aquino Aduja of Hawaii became the first Filipino American elected to public office and the late Thelma Garcia Buchholdt of Alaska became the first Filipina American elected to a legislature in the United States, respectively, inspiring fellow Filipino Americans to pursue public service in politics and government.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON BERNAL, Mayor of the City of Antioch, hereby proclaim that October 2026 is “Filipino American History Month” in the City of Antioch.

OCTOBER 27, 2026

RON BERNAL, Mayor

During special Closed Session meeting last Friday, less than two weeks before the election

“…the selection of the City Manager should be made by the new council members after the election.” – Councilman Louie Rocha

By Allen D. Payton

During the report out from the Closed Session at the end of the Antioch City Council’s special meeting on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, Acting City Manager Ana Cortez said, “Today, City Council met on the item entitled, ‘Public Employee Appointment: Position Interim City Manager…the Council took no reportable action.”

However, the agenda for tomorrow night’s Oct. 27th Council meeting, under Item 19.3 entitled, Discussion of Recruitment Strategy and Plan for Council Identified Key Positions and Citywide Recruitment and Staffing Status Update, it shows under City Manager, the Status is Active Recruitment and the Plan is, “Council provided direction to post the RFQ (Request for Quote), which closes on 10/30/2026, Firm to be selected week of 11/9/2026, Position to be posted early January and Acting City Manager/firm to work with Council on the timeline for interviews prior to position closing.”

That means the city council decided to move forward with choosing a search firm for the hiring of the city manager with the deadline for the firms to submit their proposals by this Friday, just four days before the election. Plus, the current council will choose the firm before whichever candidates get elected and are seated in December. But the position of city manager will not be posted until January, so the new council members will be involved in the vote to hire one.

When contacted about waiting until after the election and the candidates who are elected are seated in December, District 2 Councilman Louie Rocha responded, “I agree that the selection of the City Manager should be made by the new council members after the election. However, when it comes to selecting an Interim City Manager to fill the gap until we are able to search for a permanent CM, we need to take action sooner than later.”

During Tuesday’s meeting Council will also discuss 44 other vacant City positions.

Questions for City Staff

Both Cortez and City Attorney Lori Asuncion were asked why the Council’s direction to Cortez wasn’t reported out and kept secret until the agenda was released early Saturday morning. They were also asked to clarify the aforementioned description regarding the city manager recruitment included in Tuesday’s meeting agenda.

In response Asuncion wrote, “At the October 7, 2026, special council meeting, there were two reports made regarding the Interim and Permanent City Manager positions:

1. For the Interim, Council gave general direction that Ms. Cortez would remain Acting (no change) while the Council completes the process of selecting an Interim City Manager, authorized Ms. Cortez to negotiate an employment agreement with a candidate when selected, and that the appointment and agreement for an Interim City Manager would come to the council in open session at a regular city council meeting for consideration.
2. For the Permanent, Council gave general direction for staff to move forward with a Request for Proposal process for the Permanent City Manager recruitment.  

“For clarity, the Brown Act does not require a report out every time the Council meets in closed session. It requires a report of action taken in closed session for specified items (e.g., final action related to real property, litigation, appointment, dismissal, acceptance of resignation, etc.). Here in Antioch, the Council often opts for more transparency beyond what the law requires by reporting out general direction, where appropriate.

“I will of course defer to Acting CM Cortez regarding the specifics of the RFQ process that was used and the timeline for the permanent city manager, but it is my understanding that the RFQ was circulated for 2 weeks ending October 30, 2026, consistent with the October 7, 2026, direction. It is also my understanding, consistent with the report out on October 7, 2026, that the selection of an Interim City Manager and the selection of a Permanent City Manager are separate processes.”

Asuncion was then asked how and why would giving direction on hiring a search firm to fill a position even be a matter for Closed Session and shouldn’t that have been brought back to open session for discussion and direction. But she did not respond nor did Cortez, prior to publication time.

Please check back later for any updates to this report.

By Allen D. Payton

During a special Closed Session meeting on Monday afternoon, Oct. 19, 2026, the Antioch City Council discussed hiring an interim city manager to take the place of current, Acting City Manager Ana Cortez, who is also the City’s Human Resources Director, until a permanent city manager is hired. But after two hours they took no reportable action City Attorney Lori Asuncion reported out after she and the council members returned to the dais inside the Council Chambers. (See related article)

The one item on the meeting’s agenda read, Public Employee Appointment:Interim City Manager. However, as previously reported, during the Council’s special meeting on Oct. 7th, Asuncion reported out from that meeting’s Closed Session, “If and when an interim city manager is chosen and an agreement reached, the appointment and agreement will be brought to open session during a regular city council meeting for consideration.”

Before adjourning to the closed-door meeting on Monday, the mayor allowed public comments on the matter, which does not usually occur during special meetings but is if the comments are not general but specifically focused on the agendized matters. Yet, no member of the public spoke in person, via Zoom or call-in about the appointment.

Report Out from Closed Session

After returning from Closed Session shortly after 4:00 p.m., City Attorney Asuncion said, “there’s nothing to report out.”

For now, the City will continue to operate with an acting city manager, acting director for the Community and Economic Development Department and no assistant city manager. However, the Council has begun the process to hire an economic development director after voting to re-establish that department, again.

Would exclude investments in aerospace, coal, oil and gas, specifically in Chevron and BP, as well as Caterpillar whose heavy equipment products have been used in Gaza demolition

“I’m not sure this is right for primetime.” – Mayor Pro Tem Don Freitas

“…we exist within a genocidal government that invests in the military industrial complex…that also sells weapons to other genocidal governments. It is a conundrum because we’re existing right now on stolen, colonized land.” – Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker

“I’m not in support of changing our policy.” – Mayor Ron Bernal

By Allen D. Payton

Just before midnight Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the Antioch City Council voted 4-0, with District 4 Councilwoman Monica Wilson absent, to extend the meeting that is usually to end by 11:00 p.m., until 1:00 a.m., to take up the matter of a proposed “Ethical Investing” policy that excludes certain industries and specific companies, because some of their products are used by Israel in Gaza. The proposals were developed by a work group that included City Treasurer Jorge Rojas, Jr., the City’s investment advisor, and three members of Contra Costa Divest, an activist group opposed to investing in oil, natural gas and coal, and more. But no decision was reached as council members said the proposed policy was too broad, they did not have enough information and shared concerns that it gave the City Treasurer too much power.

Proposed Policy Language

Under Section IV, entitled, “Ethical Investing”, the proposed policy includes the following language:

“It is the City’s objective to integrate socially responsible and ethical investing into investment decisions to the extent practicable and possible as a way to make a positive impact on human rights by minimizing potential investment exposure to abuses such as slavery, apartheid or genocide. The City will not invest in industries that are known to harm human health or the environment. Section VI outlines prohibited investments under this objective.

“Nothing in section VI shall restrict the City Treasurer from determining additional specific companies that do not comply with socially responsible and ethical investing. The City Treasurer will periodically review the City’s investment portfolio against current known facts and circumstances from trusted sources for any potential investments held that would not be considered socially responsible or ethical and notify the investment advisor to divest as soon as it is economically practical.

“Previously held investments that are not consistent with the criteria defined and prohibited in Section VI will be liquidated prior to maturity if and only if the sale would not result in a financial loss for the City. If the early sale would result in a financial loss to the City, the investment will be held until either (1) the time at which it can be sold without a loss or (2) until maturity.

Section VI, subsection 3. entitled “Socially Responsible and Ethical Investment Exclusions” includes the following proposed language:

“a. The City will not invest in any companies that produce alcohol for public consumption or tobacco products [defined by Bloomberg sectors: Beverages-Wine/Spirits, Brewery, Tobacco].

b. The City will not invest in any aerospace and defense companies, including those that produce or manufacture firearms, and ammunition, explosives, and military electronics [defined by Bloomberg sectors: Firearms & Ammunition, Explosives, Electronics-Military].

c. The City will not invest in any private prisons [defined by Bloomberg sector: Private Prisons].

d. The City will not invest in companies that produce or manufacture coal, oil and gas, oil and gas services and pipelines [defined by Bloomberg sector: Coal, Oil & Gas, Oil & Gas Services, Pipelines].

e. The City will not invest in these specific companies:

i. Chevron Corp

ii. Caterpillar Inc

iii. Lockheed Martin Corp

iv. BP PLC

f. Any companies the City Treasurer deems not socially responsible or ethical upon verification with trusted sources, and subsequently notified in writing to the investment advisor and approved by the City Council.”

The Council heard from the public and then discussed the matter.

Public Comments

All but one member of the public spoke in favor of the proposed City investment policy changes. Only this reporter, speaking as an Antioch resident, spoke against some aspects of the proposal.

I said, “First, this new, controversial investment policy should not be decided by the Council after midnight when most residents have already gone to bed and can’t participate. But if you’re going to make a decision tonight, I don’t think it’s unethical to invest in aerospace, such as SpaceX. What are they doing wrong? Nor is it unethical to invest in oil or gas which we all use every day, and specifically Chevron which directly employs 1,200 people at the refinery in Richmond and an additional estimated 1,800 contractors, some of which I’m sure live in Antioch. But guess what? They’re not here tonight to speak on this matter because they’re probably in bed already getting ready to go to work tomorrow.”

“As for Caterpillar…other than the fact their products are being used in Gaza, how can you blame a company for what others do with their products? Where does that start, where does that end?” I asked.

“Also, I would a add to the end of subsection ‘f.’ regarding giving the City Treasurer the power, to add the words, ‘and approved by the City Council.’ Because the current City Treasurer was not elected by the people with their knowledge that he would be given this much power or anybody. It should wait until after the next election if you’re going to apply that,” I concluded.

Council Discussion But No Decision

District 2 Councilman Louie Rocha was first on the dais to speak saying, “I’m impressed with where we are from our previous conversations. I’m happy to see there’s a working group come together. When I’m looking through the document the one question I have…it does seem somewhat of a subjective thought about the City Treasurer.”

“So, one individual is going to determine what we’re going to do as a City?” he asked.

Mayor Pro Tem and District 3 Councilman Don Freitas then said, “I have questions for Justin (Resuello from PFMAM the City’s investment advisor). Amended item number six. Defined by Bloomberg. We don’t have a copy.”

“As part of our…monitoring…we use Bloomberg terminals,” Resuello responded. “We want to make it very clear that Bloomberg…We’re trying to be very explicit and we’re using Bloomberg.”

“So, the United States of America is the largest manufacturer of weapons. So, with that, how can we invest in bonds?” Freitas asked.

“The United States is not a company,” Resuello responded.

“The government has contracts with all the companies that manufacture bombs and weapons,” the District 3 councilman pointed out.

“We could still invest in U.S. bonds because they’re not companies,” the investment advisor stated.

“Even though they invest, buy and distribute all war materials to Israel, in this case, it keeps coming up,” Freitas continued. “It’s peculiar to me that you can make a distinction between the two. That’s the problem I have with the policy. It’s so broad that if we’re going to be in compliance with it, it’s very clear the City won’t invest in any of these. I don’t know how you distinguish.”

City Finance Director Dawn Merchant said, “The government according to Bloomberg is not defined as an aerospace or defense company. It is a government agency.”

“I think you’re splitting hairs,” Freitas responded.

Regarding oil, coal and gas he said, “The United States leases our land.”

“To me, the policy is too broad,” he stated. “There’s nothing from Bloomberg attached here.”

“I’m absolutely opposed to the City Treasurer making decisions. He can make recommendations. It’s up to the City Council…to set policy,” Freitas continued. “That’s another very big issue I have.”

“I applaud the people who have gotten together. But it’s just too broad for me,” he said. “I like the language, ‘the City will not invest in industries that will harm health and the environment’.”

“You could change ‘F’ that whatever companies the Treasurer deems is unethical will bring back to the Council for discussion,” Merchant interjected but added, “It’s the elected City Treasurer’s role. It’s not the Council’s role.”

“I think that’s an improvement,” Freitas responded.

“That’s why I brought it up. That would have to be modified,” Rocha added.

“What kind of impact has such an investment policy had for other agencies?” Freitas asked Resuello.

“I couldn’t say these socially responsible investment policies…had a positive or negative result,” the investment advisor responded. “They are fee neutral.”

“Those portfolios have outperformed non-ESG portfolios over the last 10 years. But if you turn the clock back…non-ESG strategies outperformed ESG portfolios from say 2005 to 2020,” Resuello stated.

When pressed further on the difference by Freitas, he said, “Within one basis point.”

“So, one-one-hundredth. OK,” Freitas responded.

“There would be about an $11,000 loss if we sold one of the investments right now,” Merchant shared, speaking of the City’s investment in Lockheed Martin.

“It’s scheduled to mature in August 2028,” Resuello explained.

District 1 Councilwoman Tamisha Torres-Walker spoke next saying, “I guess what my brain is telling me at almost one in the morning. I guess what Mayor Pro Tem Freitas is saying is that we exist within a genocidal government that invests in the military industrial complex…that also sells weapons to other genocidal governments. It is a conundrum because we’re existing right now on stolen, colonized land. So, I can see how we can get to that conclusion. We are currently under a genocidal government. So, the argument would be what difference would this policy make if we are going to invest in America anyway when the American government consistently is investing in the military?”

“I support the policy as is, with the change, obviously around the Treasurer,” she stated then asked, “Things do have to come back to the Council as recommendations to make final, yes or no?”

“The City Treasurer has complete autonomy to make the decision with the investment advisor,” Merchant stated.

“The Treasurer is an elected official with these duties already. What we’re talking about is stripping the elected official of his duties. So, wouldn’t we need a completely different conversation about that?” Torres-Walker.

“Yes,” City Attorney Lori Asuncion responded.

“The Constitution of the State of California determines the duties of an elected City Treasurer,” Freitas said. “I don’t think we’re changing the Constitution of the State of California.”

Mayor Ron Bernal was the last council member to speak on the matter saying, “I’d like to thank everyone who was part of the discussion, city staff. I understand the importance of the genocide discussion and the claim. I guess the thing I’ve always had challenge with…if I look around the world…there are atrocities happening, now, not just in Gaza and by Israel.”

“The four…corporations that have been picked out, when there’s a list of many, many companies that provide weapons…all kinds of suppliers that supply Israel with…equipment, with all kinds of things,” he continued. “A U.N. report…2025…Human Rights Office database identified 158 companies involved in specified activities of Israel settlements. So, picking out four specific companies that are listed here, to me there are many companies that could have been listed, as well. I just believe that the list is too long and too broad to try to capture it for this purpose. I also agree…the City Treasurer should not have…to me, again, nothing towards Jorge. But anybody in that position it gives too much authority.”

“I’m not in support of changing our policy. I think we stay with what we currently have as a policy,” Bernal stated.

Merchant then proposed language for the City Treasurer clause.

“In section four it says, ‘nothing in section six restricts the City Treasurer.’ That would have to change because we’re doing exactly that,” Freitas stated.

Merchant responded with more defined language.

“It’s 12:51 so, it’s going to die without a second or die without a majority vote,” Torres-Walker said and made a motion to “approve the policy with the exceptions recommended by Finance Director Dawn Merchant.” But no one seconded the motion.

“Because I have hesitancy,” Freitas interjected. “It really is Lockheed. I’m willing to keep Lockheed there but delete the other three. I can live with that. I would like this to come back on a quarterly basis. I want to know if this will be the policy. My concern, it’s too broad…and there needs to be oversight. I’m willing to try for a year. But it needs to come back in a year.”

Bernal then mentioned the clause regarding, “not investing in industries that are known to harm human health or the environment.”

“I’m willing to support your recommended changes,” Torres-Walker said to Freitas.

Merchant said what Bernal quoted is a broad description.

But he reiterated, “In industries that are known to harm human health or the environment. That includes pretty much everything. I’d like to strike that statement. It’s too broad.”

“My concern is it’s too broad,” Freitas reiterated. “The committee has worked this far. I’d say, ‘go back’. This is the first time the council has heard it. I’m not sure this is right for primetime. I think, really, you need to go back, and various members of the council, I don’t think you’re going to get a second or three votes of council, right now.”

“I think it needs to come back with what the Bloomberg directions are,” he added.

“I’d like to see the specific statutory, what the City Treasurer can and can’t do under state law…what the responsibilities the Treasurer has” Bernal added.

With no other motion the council ended discussion of the matter.

See agenda item with proposed Statement of Investment Policy.

The meeting adjourned at 12:59 AM.