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Hayward staff and residents praise council for recent leadership action during public comment
Summary
Multiple city employees and residents used public comment to thank the council for a recent leadership decision they said protected staff and organizational integrity; speakers urged transparent hiring and continued oversight.
During the public‑comment period, multiple Hayward city employees and community members praised the City Council for recent leadership decisions that, they said, prioritized staff safety and organizational integrity.
Speakers included employees who identified their departmental roles and labor‑unit leaders. Miss Riddle (public comment) thanked the council “for the action that you took today,” saying the decision showed the council listened and protected staff. Theo Spores, a planning landscape architect with Development Services, said he spoke for a colleague who was afraid to testify and thanked councilmembers for “taking action on behalf of all those people who were afraid for their jobs.” Rick Rivera, an analyst in the Community Services Division of the City Manager’s Office, expressed appreciation for leadership that incorporates facts, data and stakeholders’ lived experience.
Several union representatives and staff leaders spoke. Danny Magalas, maintenance manager at the Water Resource and Recovery Facility and president of HAIM, thanked council for supporting recruitment and retention in recent contract negotiations and called council action ‘‘one of the best’’ outcomes for staff. Manny Grewal, maintenance services treasurer and HAIM officer, praised employees’ courage and called the council action “a shared commitment to moving forward in a way that better aligns with our city's goals, values, and vision.”
Emily Huang, speaking on behalf of staff, asked the council to treat the decision as a turning point and to conduct future leadership recruitment with transparency and scrutiny. Several speakers urged ongoing, collaborative rebuilding of trust between council and staff.
No formal council action occurred during the public‑comment segment; speakers were responding to earlier decisions announced or taken by the council, and their remarks were framed as gratitude and calls for a transparent recruitment process and oversight going forward.
