San Diego County’s Leon L. Williams Human Relations Commission will be on hold until a review is completed after complaints about how it operates, including allegations of antisemitism, following a unanimous Board of Supervisors vote.
Supervisors on Tuesday also approved spending $100,000 on a consultant to write an assessment.
Based on recommendations by Chairwoman Nora Vargas, supervisors directed interim Chief Administrative Officer Sarah Aghassi to work with the Office of Equity and Racial Justice and the consultant “to assess the current structure and role of the Human Relations Commission” and provide updates, according to the meeting agenda.
Supervisors will vote on a report featuring the consultant’s findings, recommendations and work plan, which the HRC will review, at a later date. Commission member Mohamed Taha Hassane reportedly made comments about the Israel-Gaza conflict that some residents found to be antisemitic.
Supervisors on Feb. 6 voted 3-0 in favor of reappointing Hassane — nominated by Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, who represents District 4 — to the commission as part of the consent agenda.
Some residents on Feb. 6 urged supervisors not to reappoint Hassane. One caller said that as a female, who also happens to be Jewish, she would “not feel safe” if he remained on the commission.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants left the blockaded Gaza Strip and entered nearby Israeli towns, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians. Israel then launched an attack on Gaza.
Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond abstained, with Desmond saying he was not comfortable with the reappointment.
During the Feb. 6 meeting, Montgomery Steppe said Oct. 7 events were “really unspeakable and horrible,” and that she was “praying every day for peace for every single man, woman and child (who) is endangered right now.”
In a statement after the Feb. 6 meeting, Montgomery Steppe said the HRC’s success “heavily depends on exchanging opinions and diverse perspectives to foster trust and collaboration with the community, especially in times of grave conflict.”
“In order to move forward, the commission must reflect its strategic action plan to promote a safe space that engages in respectful dialogue, challenges harmful ideas with evidence and reason, and upholds the dignity and rights of all people of society.”
In mid-February, Vargas and Vice Chair Terra Lawson-Remer announced they would seek a pause in commission activities. In a Feb. 15 statement, Lawson-Remer said a hold was necessary “until the systemic issues that have plagued the volunteer commission since its reinstatement in 2020 are thoroughly addressed.”
Over a dozen people on Tuesday defended Hassane, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Other residents urged supervisors to support a cease-fire in the Middle Eastern conflict, which has resulted in deaths of thousands of people since Oct. 7.
During the Tuesday meeting, Hassane told the board that the HRC “is a very important institution to the whole population of San Diego County,” according to the Union-Tribune. “We cannot afford not to have a commission that talks about what’s going on in our county. However, I don’t think that a long-term suspension is going to be the solution.”
Supervisors in May 2020 established the commission “to promote positive human relations, respect, and the integrity of every individual regardless of gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or citizenship status,” according to a page on the county website.
Named for the county’s first Black supervisor, the commission now has 21 members, although it can seat up to 31.
In a statement, Vargas said the recommendations focus on enhancing the commission’s long-term success and effectiveness.
“The commission aims to bridge our communities and government, fostering critical conversations that promote positive human relations,” Vargas said. “I am grateful to the commission members for advancing effective programming, and I am excited about the opportunity to strengthen its structure to fulfill its mission.”
The Union-Tribune reported that commission Chairwoman Ellen Nash said she supported putting commission duties on hold.
“Over the course of the last three years … we have had growing pains, but there has been a lot of work accomplished,” Nash said.
She added that “there’s a lot more work to be done,” the Union- Tribune reported.
The HRC has dealt with controversy before, after member Dennis Hodges in 2021 said that “transgenderism … is an abomination in the eyes of God.”
In response, supervisors in April 2022 voted 4-1 in favor of amended commission bylaws, including the ability to censure or remove a member who violates the code of conduct.