With election in the rearview, censure is in the air

San Leandro, Emeryville City Councils are planning formal rebukes of their colleagues, Two Alameda officials scuttle accountability for Spencer's behavior in Long Beach. Plus, more on Election Night

Alameda Councilmember Tracy Jensen questioned if there was evidence to formally admonish Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer for being intoxicated at an event last month in Long Beach.

CITY NEWS

ALAMEDA

—A referral to formally admonish Alameda Councilmember Trish Herrera Spencer for her drunken behavior while representing the city at an event in Long Beach two weeks ago was scuttled on Wednesday night after two councilmembers raised doubts that she was actually intoxicated.

—Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, who drafted the council referral asking her colleagues to formally admonish Spencer, did not call for a vote after it became clear the vote would be deadlocked. Spencer was absent from Wednesday’s meeting.

—Spencer, who said she does not remember the incident, has suggested she was the victim of a crime, but has not addressed accusations that she was drunk.

—Alameda Councilmembers Tracy Jensen and Tony Daysog said they were uncomfortable holding Spencer accountable without clear evidence that she was drunk.

—“I wasn’t in Long Beach, but here is what I know,” Jensen said. “Councilmember Spencer was not arrested. She did not commit any crime, and I cannot independently determine whether she was inebriated or attacked or suffering from a medical condition.”

—Jensen added that she is hopeful Spencer will seek medical or rehabilitation support.

—“I don’t know if she was a victim of A crime,” Daysog said. “Was she drunk? I’m struck about how in the four-minute video there is no reference to drunken intoxication.”

—The video below includes multiple angles of Long Beach Police tending to Spencer.

—Councilmember Malia Vella, who along with Ashcraft, also attended the League of California Cities Convention, said a councilmember should be held to the same standard as any city employee.

—“If it was an employee of the city who had been engaged in this behavior, we would be asking questions about that employee’s ability to perform their job and whether or not it was becoming of their official capacity,” Vella said. “We cannot hold ourselves beyond reproach. We have to hold ourselves to the same standards that we hold to our employees.”

—Others attending the convention told Vella they witnessed Spencer drinking alcohol at the event. Spencer has a history of drinking at other events in her capacity as an elected official, Vella added.

—“We are tacitly approving of this behavior on taxpayers’ dollars,” Vella said. “We’re not there to go out and drink and party. We’re there to attend the conference, attend the educational sessions, and act as representatives of the city.”

—The incident involving Spencer occurred on the morning of Oct. 18 in Long Beach during the annual League of California Cities Convention attended by more than 2,000 local government officials.

—Long Beach Police were summoned at 12:12 a.m. to check on an intoxicated female lying unresponsive on the sidewalk. Several angles of police body-camera video showed Spencer disoriented as she attempted to answer questions from police officers.

—Spencer faced re-election on Tuesday for one of two at-large council seats. As of Wednesday morning, Spencer is narrowly trailing the top two vote-getters.

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MORE INSIDE:

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• Emeryville City Council is planning censure against councilmember

• ELECTION 2024: Election Night surprises—Fremont, SD5

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• Price, Thao dealt with Election Night’s bad news in differing ways.