REDWOOD CITY, CA — Redwood City's mayor and city manager apologized for a mishap during the April 26 city council meeting, when the city was unable to provide translation for Spanish-speaking residents who called in to make public comments about the looming expiration of a statewide eviction moratorium.
Mayor Diane Howard said during Monday's council meeting that the words that she used on April 26 to address the speakers "may have been hurtful, and for that I am very sorry."
City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz added that the city was "not well-prepared for Spanish-speaking residents to participate in the meeting," and fell short of its core value of ensuring that all members of the community feel welcomed. She apologized for the impact on the speakers and others in the community.
On April 26, Adriana Guzman, a lead community organizer in San Mateo County with Faith In Action Bay Area, called in during the meeting and said in Spanish that there were 13 residents who wished to share with the council why they should push to extend the moratorium, which expires June 30. The city clerk asked for the translator to come on the line, but nothing was heard by the public during the virtual meeting, with periods of silence filling the broadcast amid the confusion.
The residents spoke anyway in Spanish about struggling to find work during the pandemic and needing help with rent. Four speakers in, Howard asked Guzman how many speakers were left. When Guzman said there were 13, Howard said: "I wish I had known that ahead of time."
Guzman responded in English that she did let the city clerk know before the meeting that there would be between 10 and 13 Spanish speakers wishing to make a public comment.
"Is there any way you could just summarize then?" Howard said. "I don't want to not hear their testimony. I just wanted to see if there was a way to summarize because I really do hear the message. I think our councilmembers do also."
After more back-and-forth, Howard again asked if Guzman could summarize the residents' comments "in the interest of time," and "as quickly as possible," to which Guzman responded by offering to interpret for them on the spot.
On Monday, Howard said that she called Guzman the day after the meeting and met last week with 25 community members via Zoom, where they agreed to lobby Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend the eviction moratorium.
"We all agreed our meeting went well and we plan to do it again soon," Howard said. "I appreciate Ms. Guzman's help in setting up the second meeting and I look forward to continuing our dialogue with the neighborhoods to work together on these very important issues."
One speaker called in to thank the mayor and city manager for their statements about "what happened with our brothers and sisters with Faith in Action."
"I appreciate the words and the intent, and I think it's a big first step," the speaker said.
Diaz added that the city is training its staff on using the "translate" function on Zoom, and looking at procedures and technologies for supporting languages other than English during council meetings. More than a third of Redwood City residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. San Jose, another Bay Area city that also has a large Spanish-speaking population, has also faced backlash for failing to offer in-house translation during the pandemic.
"I invite members of the community who have suggestions on good practices to share those with us," Diaz said.
No comments:
Post a Comment