Public and council members press San Leandro leaders on workplace harassment and accountability

Members of the public and elected officials pressed San Leandro leaders on workplace conduct, prior settlements and how the city will prevent future harassment.

During public comment several residents urged the mayor to publicly acknowledge past workplace misconduct and to outline concrete steps to protect women at city hall. Gloria Strong told the council the city had settled a gender discrimination lawsuit for $335,000 and paid about $100,000 for an independent investigation; she said taxpayers had paid "more than half $1,000,000" for the consequences of how women have been treated in local government and asked for specific accountability and policy changes.

Later in council reports, Councilmember Bowen delivered an extended personal statement about a criminal case in which she said she was the victim of an assault in November 2024. Bowen said a resolution in the criminal case included the defendant entering a first‑time offender intervention program and mandatory consent training. She also described harmful rumors and alleged victim‑blaming statements that circulated before and after the incident and criticized what she called attempts to discredit her character. Bowen urged the council to reject misinformation, clarify accountability, and to make city hall a place where survivors can speak without fear.

An online public commenter (speaker Jesse) referenced material from the HR investigation and asked whether Councilmember Victor Aguilar 'was behind this setup,' noting that the investigation said some false accusations were distributed before the assault. That question was posed from the public comment line during the meeting and was not answered on the record in the hearing.

Mayor Gonzalez and other council members thanked those who spoke; the mayor said he typically refrains from commenting on public comment unless an objectively false claim is made and noted that there have been communications about specific parking concerns raised earlier. The meeting transcript records a mix of public calls for transparency, requests for safety reforms, and requests that the council explain steps taken to prevent recurrence.

The council did not take formal personnel action on the record at Tuesday's meeting; Bowen said she pursued the legal case and welcomed the accountability process performed by law enforcement and the courts. Her remarks stressed a broader civic point about creating an environment where people feel safe reporting wrongdoing.