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Residents urge Arcata to adopt Gaza City sister-city tie as dozens speak during council meeting
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the Arcata City Council on April 2 to pursue a sister-city relationship with Gaza City and to push institutional divestment; council took no formal vote but heard sustained public testimony in favor.
Arcata — A sustained series of public comments at the Arcata City Council meeting on April 2 focused on a movement to establish Arcata as a sister city to Gaza City and to press for broader institutional actions such as urging CalPERS divestment from defense suppliers.
Multiple speakers described recent humanitarian aid shipments organized locally and said municipal sister-city recognition would formalize ties and help coordinate aid. "We have provided over 700 hot meals to the people of Gaza City and the surrounding area," a speaker identified as Sean told the council, urging the city to move the sister-city idea forward. Other callers described conditions in Gaza in emotional terms and urged the council to act on moral and humanitarian grounds.
Zoom callers and in-person speakers also urged the council to support a CalPERS divestment letter; one caller provided a prepared letter and post on a local campaign site and reported that organizers had encouraged state and local public-employee investors to contact CalPERS. Several callers referenced international reporting and humanitarian figures to support their appeals.
Councilmembers did not vote on the matter at this meeting. Some councilmembers and staff acknowledged receipt of the requests and said they would accept communications and consider scheduling the matter for future agenda consideration; a few council members offered to liaise with organizers if the council placed the item on a future agenda.
What happened: the council received extended public testimony (many callers expressed support for sister-city designation and for divestment outreach). The item was not agendized for action, and council members noted procedural limits (Brown Act restrictions) on discussing non-agendized items at length.
Context and next steps: advocates asked the council to place a formal sister-city request or related resolutions on a future meeting agenda; organizers requested that councilmembers send letters to CalPERS urging divestment from suppliers of weaponry. Any formal municipal action would require a future agenda item, staff analysis and legal review.
Sources: Public commenters during the April 2, 2025 Arcata City Council meeting; organizers and Zoom participants.
