Kalimota and other plaintiffs press National City for mediation as council moves to closed session on lawsuits and labor talks

At a special meeting of the National City Council, plaintiffs in ongoing disputes and a local cannabis applicant told the council they plan to mediate and urged a settlement that they said would bring tax revenue at no cost to the city.

Dukey Valderrama, a commenter addressing item 5.2, said the city has a court hearing “coming up next week” and urged settlement to avoid continued litigation. Jacqueline Reynoso, who identified herself as with Kalimota, criticized the city’s handling of licensing and said she believes the city attorney has not “operated in good faith to provide immediate options for a swift resolution.” She said Kalimota is one of two local qualified applicants and described the company as a Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and female‑owned business seeking a license.

Another commenter, who identified herself as Laura Wilkerson, said the parties have an offer that has been before the city for over a year and that it would be “no cost to you.” Wilkerson said, “We will be mediating this, coming Wednesday… We will go to this mediation in good faith,” and said the applicant would dismiss litigation costs if granted a license. Several speakers said other applicants had dissolved their business entities and that Kalimota remained prepared to open.

Commenters also invoked a prior court judgment; Jacqueline Reynoso said the city “already got hit with the $10,000,000 judgment for acts of discrimination against a female officer,” a claim she attributed to past litigation and that she raised during public comment.

Following public comment the council recessed into closed session. The city attorney read the closed‑session agenda items on the record: conferences with legal counsel on existing litigation, listed as Polanco v. City of National City; BCD v. City of National City; and Kalimota v. City of National City. The attorney also said the council would confer with labor negotiators with employee organizations including the Municipal Employees Association (MEA), the firefighters association, the police officers association and unrepresented groups.

The meeting record shows no public votes or settlements announced during the session; the city indicated it would provide a report‑out at the end of the workshop that followed the closed session.