Daly City delays vote on Gaza ceasefire resolution after hours of public testimony

Mayor Jocelyn C. Manalo told the packed chamber that agenda item 16, a proposed resolution calling for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza, would be continued to the council's next meeting on May 28 because one council member was absent. She said the council wanted a full body present before voting.

That announcement set the tone for an extended public-comment period in which more than a hundred residents and local advocates took one-minute turns urging the council either to pass a ceasefire without amendments or to reject the measure. Speakers included local clergy, nurses, teachers, students and representatives of regional organizations.

Advocates for the resolution described the humanitarian toll in Gaza and urged the council to act as a moral voice. "Please vote yes on a bilateral ceasefire resolution without amendments when the time comes," said a local resident who identified himself as Glenn. Jonathan Mittzer, director of external relations for JCRC Bay Area, urged the council to organize training for city officials about Jewish identity and antisemitism, saying in part that the Jewish community felt "traumatized, isolated, [and] vulnerable." Other speakers described students and neighbors facing harassment and called for the city to protect all residents.

Opponents cautioned that such resolutions risked exceeding the council's municipal purview or could be inflammatory. "A resolution that focuses on Israel to the exclusion of other conflicts is bigoted," one speaker argued, calling on the council to avoid taking sides on complex foreign-policy matters.

Council members did not take a vote the night of May 13. The mayor and staff reiterated that the item had been formally continued to May 28 because a fifth council member was absent due to illness; the mayor said the council preferred to decide with a full complement of members present.

The extended public-comment session also produced repeated calls for the council to protect speakers and staff by organizing training and by responding to reports of harassment at prior meetings. Jonathan Mittzer and others asked the council to adopt anti-hate training for officials and staff.

Next steps: The council will hear the resolution at its May 28 meeting. Public testimony and any amendments will be recorded at that hearing, and the council may vote when a full quorum is present.