The Alameda City Council voted on Tuesday against a proposal that would have sent federal officials a letter supporting a ceasefire in Gaza, diving into an issue that has divided Bay Area communities and local governments across the region.
Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said she drafted the letter because she believed it was “imperative” to speak up against the violence in Gaza. The letter demanded the U.S. government pursue an immediate ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, condemned Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, and recognized Israel’s desire to ensure the safety of its citizens.
The letter would have been sent to U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, who has already publicly called for a ceasefire.
“The seemingly unrestrained violence in Gaza serves no one’s interests,” the letter read. “We were not elected to simply represent our constituents, but also to set an example of ethical leadership.”
But after hours of public comment, which followed hundreds of emails sent to city leaders, the council declined to support Ashcroft’s letter in a 3-1 vote.
“This city council must always strive to be a neutral arbiter of discussion and discourse, we can’t take one side or another,” Vice Mayor Tony Daysog said. “I believe this letter fails in that regard.”
Although Ashcraft framed the meeting as a respectful airing of opinions that allowed both sides to share their concerns, the public comment and exchanges between city leaders illustrated the depth to which the conflict in Gaza has divided the Bay Area.
The letter was called “divisive and anti-Jewish.” Another commenter referred to the “weaponization of anti-semitism.” At times during public comment, residents called out the behavior of other speakers, saying they had been harassed, or that opponents of the letter had called for the mass murder of Gazans. Others said it was inappropriate for the city council to comment on a ceasefire at all.
“One side will be outraged, the other will be elated,” said resident Stanley Wolf. “Let this community heal.”
Prior to the vote, Ashcraft and Daysog sparred briefly. Ashcraft said the vice mayor was misquoting her, and Daysog tried to interrupt her rebuttal.
Following public comment, Ashcraft made her case for the letter and reiterated its main points.
“What I’m looking for is a swift and sustainable resolution to the crisis,” Ashcraft said.
Debate over ceasefire statements has raged in cities nearby. Oakland’s resolution calling for peace in the region sparked heated debate about whether the city’s chosen language -– which made hardly a mention of Israel — should have explicitly condemned Hamas. In Alameda, Ashcraft’s letter did condemn Hamas.
Efforts by activists to get a ceasefire resolution approved by the Berkeley City Council led to the shutdown of several meetings and prompted Mayor Jesse Arreguín to publicly dismiss the idea, saying in a statement that it would “fan the flames of hatred here at home.”
No city in the Bay Area has signaled support for Palestinians more resoundingly than Richmond, which in October became one of the first cities in the country to do so. Few major cities have followed suit, though ceasefire resolutions have since been approved in Detroit, Atlanta and Seattle.
In contrast to the raucous environments elsewhere in the Bay Area, Ashcraft said the meeting earlier this week was restrained.
“Did the vote go the way I hoped it would? No,” Ashcraft said in an interview. “But I was proud of Alameda–they were respectful, and they said their piece.”