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Council declines to reopen Indigenous Culture & Art Festival funding after Fitzgerald recusal
Summary
Councilmember Fitzgerald recused herself from discussion of funding for an Indigenous Culture & Art Festival after disclosing and returning a campaign contribution; the council voted to leave last week's funding approval in place.
Councilmember Fitzgerald publicly disclosed a potential conflict of interest and asked the City Council to reconsider a previously approved public service agreement funding the Indigenous Culture & Art Festival. Fitzgerald said she received a campaign contribution from the San Pasqual Band of Kumeyaay Indians on Oct. 5, 2024, and, after recognizing the potential conflict, returned the funds and recused herself from further participation on the item.
City staff said the contract with the San Pasqual Band had already been executed and the event was scheduled for the coming Saturday. The mayor moved that the council not reconsider the earlier approval and allow the prior decision to stand; the motion required council action to close the door on reconsideration. Councilmember Fitzgerald left the discussion and did not participate in the vote. The council voted to not reopen the item, effectively leaving the prior approval in place; the vote was recorded as 3-1, with Deputy Mayor Consuelo Martinez voting no and an abstention recorded from the earlier vote remaining in the record.
Councilmembers thanked Fitzgerald for her transparency. Staff confirmed the executed contract would not be affected by the motion to not reconsider.
