Pacific Grove City Council keeps two DEI Task Force members for a year in compromise vote.

A compromise of sorts was reached at the Pacific Grove City Council meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 18, in the controversial appointments to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force by Mayor Bill Peake—but not before residents gave the council an earful for nearly two hours. Most were upset by the fact Peake did not invite back two members who helped launch the committee about 15 months ago.

Peake only reappointed one DEI member, Nadja Mark. With another two of the five members choosing not to reapply, it meant the task force would see four new members, including one who, in her application, expressed doubts about the usefulness of the task force.

The two who reapplied but were snubbed were the task force’s first chairperson, Tina Rau, and Kim Bui, who wrote the city’s officially approved apology for the burning of the Chinese fishing village in 1906 at Point Alones, where the Hopkins Marine Station is now located. Numerous speakers were concerned that Bui was not reappointed.

“It’s particularly disturbing to me and many members in the community that there are no Asians in the mayor's appointments and Kim Bui, writer of the apology resolution and one of the most qualified hard working and dedicated persons I have ever met, was not asked to continue,” said Randy Sabado, whose late wife, Gerry Low-Sabado, advocated for years for recognition of the residents of the fishing village.

Sabado asked how the city could go from issuing a formal apology one year “to essentially gutting the task force and starting over,” without allowing the original members to finish the work they started.

Other speakers also expressed concern there would be no Asian American representation, as well as no representation of the LGBTQ community with Rau’s exit.

Peake focused on the appointment process and specifically on the fact that all five of the DEI Task Force members’ terms were up in January 2023, despite the ordinance specifying that terms should be staggered.

Some speakers pointed out that the ordinance also required two-year terms for task force members, but they had not served their full terms yet.

Peake was focused on keeping all five of his appointees and offered a solution to fixing the need for staggering: He suggested that two members serve three years and two serve two years to achieve a staggered rotation. Who gets to serve which term would be decided by drawing names out of a hat.

The mayor never addressed why he chose the candidates he did, nor why he rejected Rau and Bui. He only said that reappointments were not automatic and that he had so many applications, not everyone would be selected. Peake suggested they contribute to the city in other ways including speaking at meetings, email comments and volunteering to help with events and projects.

City Attorney Brian Pierik recommended the city stick to the intent of the ordinance and allow two current members to serve until January 2024, thereby serving a full term, plus extra. Three appointees would then serve two years until January 2025.

In the end, the council voted 6-0, with Mayor Pro Tempore Nick Smith absent, in favor of keeping Kim Bui and Nadja Mark until January 2024. They also unanimously voted for Donna Stevens, Juan Mosquera and Katherine Hoops.

A fourth candidate appointed by Peake, Marie Hunter, was left out. Her candidacy was a non-starter with residents who said she was not qualified. Hunter acknowledged in her application that she has doubted the usefulness of the DEI Task Force. She also said it was wrong “to point fingers at a particular race dominating and suppressing another.”

Hunter said as a member of the task force she wanted to bring her “passion to helping folks in need, in particular the elderly and the kids that have been impacted immensely by the pandemic response measures"—a focus that is substantially different from that of the advisory body.

While the majority of the speakers supported the DEI Task Force, a few supported Peake’s appointments and complained that those residents who argued against appointing Hunter were “attacking” her. More than one said the DEI Task Force was a bad idea that had brought division to the community.

Peake’s appointments to other boards and commissions were passed 6-1, with Councilmember Chaps Poduri voting no. He argued in favor of appointing candidates for the council who lost on Nov. 7.

According to Rau, every candidate who lost and asked for an appointment was denied, including Mike Wachs, who ran against Peake for mayor. Wachs applied for four different boards and commissions.