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Residents urge action after alleged harassment and board removal; request internal audit and ethics oversight
Summary
During citizen communications, a former community development advisory board member alleged repeated harassment by the board chair and said she was removed from the board; other speakers called for an ethics commission, internal audits and greater transparency.
Multiple residents used the public-comment period to raise concerns about harassment, board removals and transparency in city-appointed boards, urging the commission to investigate and strengthen oversight.
Lorena Galarza identified herself as a District 1 resident and a former member of the Community Development Advisory Board and said she experienced threats and harassment from Jim Young, the board’s chair, who she said was appointed by Commissioner Rene Perez. Galarza told the commission her report of the first instance of harassment was made in May 2023 and that she subsequently faced retaliation and removal from the board. "This harassment went so far as to include the use of the f word," Galarza said, and she recommended the removal of Jim Young and an internal audit of the department that oversees the board. In her remarks she named Sandy Alvarez as community development director and Josh Ramirez as assistant city manager as officials associated with the board’s oversight.
Other speakers reiterated concerns about accountability. Robert Leftwich said the city appears to be "covering up" wrongdoing and urged the commission to staff a previously approved ethics commission. Ron Lozano criticized perceived political behavior and said recent spending priorities had created a poor perception of city leadership. Raymond Reyes called for transparency and oversight and recounted past business impacts he attributed to city actions.
The mayor closed the citizen-communications segment after the scheduled speakers finished; the items were not placed on the meeting’s agenda for immediate deliberation. Several speakers asked the commission to consider an internal audit of the Community Development Department and to activate or staff the city’s ethics commission so citizens have an independent avenue for complaints. The transcript records the concerns and calls for oversight but does not show any motion by the commission to initiate internal investigation or to remove named individuals during the meeting.
