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East Palo Alto council adopts reprimand for Councilmember Romero, revisits sanctions in June 2026
Summary
After heated debate and a large public comment turnout, the council adopted resolution 67-2024 to reprimand Councilmember Carlos Romero for repeated violations of the council code of ethics but amended the motion to revisit the sanction in June 2026 rather than automatically extending it through November 2026.
The East Palo Alto City Council adopted a resolution to formally reprimand Councilmember Carlos Romero for repeated violations of the council's code of ethics, but the council amended the original sanction to require a review in June 2026 rather than an automatic prohibition through November 2026.
Mayor Diana Barragan outlined two incidents she said violated the code and proposed the highest-level sanction. "For this reason, I hereby move to prohibit Council Member Romero from representing the city of East Palo Alto and in governmental agencies through November 2026," the mayor said. Councilmember Romero apologized in his allotted time and urged mercy while defending his record on regional boards: "I extend my deepest apologies to the mayor, to my council members, and the community for the use of that term and express sincere regret for that comment that I made," he said.
Council members debated substitute motions and alternatives. Romero offered a substitute that would limit the action to a written reprimand; that substitute failed. The council approved the mayor's resolution with an amendment to revisit the sanction in June 2026. The resolution is identified in the meeting record as Resolution 67-2024.
