San Leandro's Restriction On Speech Of City Commissioners Unprecedented And Wrong
On July 6, 2018, the City mailed a legal document to all San Leandro commissioners requiring that they sign the document by July 13, 2018, attesting to their acknowledgement that they are contractually obligated to never "demean or besmirch the reputation" of Mr. Zapata. Failure to sign this document will result in their "forfeiture" from office as a commissioner. The Mayor and City Council have made a serious mistake in placing a restriction on the speech of all City employees and City Commissioners in the course of reaching an agreement with former City Manager Chris Zapata for his departure in exchange for a payment of $350,000. Presumably the Mayor and City Council acted on the poor advice of the City Attorney. But the decision is their responsibility. The Mayor and City Council have caused great stress and anxiety for all City Commissioners - who give freely of their time for the betterment of the community. [Disclosure: My wife is a commissioner. She