Effect real change and educate about systemic racism rather than work for a Jeannie Bruins resignation. 

A recent article in our local paper says some young local leader would rather educate Council Member Jeannie Bruins and “effect real change” than something else...

The reporter writes about her interview with the youth, “…knowing that the councilwoman is termed-out in November, ... would rather spend the last few months of her tenure educating her and her colleagues…” 

Read the interview about education vs. resignation,  https://www.losaltosonline.com/news/sections/news/62660-los-altos-mayor-council-member-promise-change-in-response-to-deluge-of-emails

Yet Helen Mae on nextdoor.com promotes an anonymous change.org petition or petitions that still demand that Bruins resign. Helen Mae’s unethical campaign and all copy cat petitions demanding Bruins resign really need to go. 

How are we to come together and become more anti-racist as suggested by Noah Tesfaye -- one of our local young black men --  in his recent Los AltosTown Crier opinion column? 

Noah's opinion piece has many points I disagree with and that you may disagree with as well, but he would like you to read it anyway. Opinion:Tesfaye

So this "Educate" petition is a counterweight to a petition now supported by Helen Mae that asks Ms. Bruins to resign from City Council five months before her term is over. Her malfeasance? It was the use of an adjectival phrase that has become politically incorrect, has become racist. Some people are calling Ms. Bruins a racist. She has apologized twice for using the term. Our one black Council Member - Neysa Fligor - says Bruins use of the term was not hurtful to her and has accepted her apology.  They have collaborated on city matters in a collegial manner for the past three years.

Some uninformed people think the City Council or Mayor can fire Bruins.  She is an elected official. There is no process for that.  It is a fantasy.

The "Resign" petition supported by Helen Mae on nextdoor.com  suggests a Bruins self-punishment - voluntary resignation - that is way out of proportion to her misstep. If these personal attacks on her by email, by petition, and amplified on nextdoor.com were to cause her to quit, her vacancy could be filled by appointment by the other 4 council members or just left empty. The last time there was a council resignation a FORMER mayor was asked to finish the term.  That unfinished term was for 3 years. Bruins’s term has only five months to go.

If Bruins were hounded to resign, local city issues before the council in the next 6 months would remain undecided or just fall through the cracks.  As black current Vice-mayor Neysa Fligor often said during her 2016 and 2018 city council election campaigns, "Los Altos should keep MOVING FORWARD." We agree. There are dire consequences for Los Altos NOT moving forward if Bruins is forced out by social media harassment. Neysa Fligor is expected to run for a second term on council in November 2022.

If you want the entire 5 member Council to work on systemic racism, if you want Council’s priorities to continue to progress this year, if you want an orderly election this fall and a smooth transition to two or three new council members in December, sign and urge Jeanne Bruins to STAY THE COURSE and applaud local education about systemic racism. 

Read Bruins's latest apology at the June 8 City Council Meeting and about actions being taken to reduce racism in Los Altos. https://losaltospolitico.com/2020/06/bruins-atones-racism-8-cant-wait-transcript/

TAKE AN EXTRA moment to shoot a pre-filled email to Jeannie Bruins with cc: to Mayor Jan Pepper.

PERSONAL UPDATE: On Saturday June 3, proponents of the opposing petition threatened me 3 times by phone with a lawsuit, claiming using the activist's name or providing information which identified the activist  too easily was illegal. They said direct quotes from his words, the reporter's words, were not 'on message' and selective quoting  is illegal. They demanded I change it in 10 minutes.  They called back after several minutes demanding I remove the whole petition, not just make the changes. As a courtesy I have made changes requested in those phone calls. I told them I was leaving it up.   In the following days, I did not even get the courtesy of a Phone Call from Noah Tesfaye,  but just a friend sending me a copy of his ugly unethical post on nextdoor.com. He said it was unethical for me not to provide a link to his complete article - which is untrue of course. It is insanely easy to go to the LATC news site and search for his name. Choose the newest article!  Voila. But as a courtesy I have added a link for the search-challenged. Most recently the coterie of proponents  reduced the 'changes against me" about  the previous version of this petition from "illegal" to  "unethical."