Hayward City Council meeting overrun by Zoom bombers

Bid for ranked choice voting in Alameda is over; Restraining order sought against Hayward candidate; BLee's poll numbers remain stagnant; IE money floods two East Bay state Senate races

CITY NEWS

HAYWARD

—ZOOM BOMBERS—The Hayward City Council meeting was bombarded by remote public speakers on Tuesday night who repeatedly unleashed anti-semitic and racist comments.

—The invective by the anonymous “Zoom bombers” follows the Hayward City Council’s decision last month to divest from four companies that do business in Israel.

—At least four remote speakers used racial epitaphs against Jews and African Americans, along with a declaration of “white power.”

—Several of the speakers addressed the council before abruptly uttering their inappropriate comments. Hayward’s city clerk moved quickly to cut off the remote speakers, but often not in time to avoid the hate speech from being heard.

—In the age of remote public commentary, “Zoom bombing” has periodically been a scourge for East Bay governments. A Berkeley City Council meeting in September was plagued with similar profane language by remote speakers.

—The prevalence of “Zoom bombing” has led some cities and jurisdictions to do away with allowing the public to speak remotely during council meetings. Perhaps, Hayward will be next?

—INTERIM NAMED—Dustin Claussen was named interim city manager. Claussen has served as assistant city manager since December 2022. Earlier this month, City Manager Kelly McAdoo announced her departure to become Santa Barbara’s city administrator. Claussen will take over in May, Hayward City Attorney Michael Lawson said on Tuesday.

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