City officials take sides on global issues
When my husband and I moved to Irvine in 1978, there was not a synagogue in sight. Fast forward to 1997 when Tarbut V’Torah came to Irvine and 2004 when the entire Samueli Jewish Campus held its grand opening. “Synagogue Row” on Michelson Drive is now the home of three Jewish congregations, Chabad has two Irvine locations (plus the one on the UCI campus), and several synagogues without walls call Irvine home as well. Jewish residents, who reportedly account for about 10 percent of Irvine’s population, have played important roles in business, professional services, academia, and government.
Jewish life has never been better in Irvine, right? Well, maybe not…
Since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed 1200 people in Israel and took another 250 as hostages, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activities have proliferated all over the world. Sadly, Irvine has been no exception.
While Jewish residents held peaceful demonstrations on various street corners of Irvine, Palestinian sympathizers held huge rallies on the civic center grounds and elsewhere. On occasion, they tried to disrupt the pro-Israel rallies, and the police got involved.
In December the mayor and a member of the Irvine City Council decided to put their own imprimatur on the conflict. On December 12 Mayor Farrah Khan proposed a measure for a ceasefire in Gaza, and Vice Mayor Larry Agran proposed that taxpayer funds be used for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Their proposed motions, which have yet to be placed on the official agenda, have made bi-weekly council meetings into hours-long sessions of 90-second speeches by as many as 150 people representing both sides, sometimes accompanied by heckling from the Palestinian sympathizers. On one occasion, a council meeting was interrupted for 30 minutes in an attempt to restore order. A large police presence was evident at all of the council meetings where the resolutions were discussed.
Citizens are angry. Concerned residents and business owners have written a letter asking Khan and Agran to resign. In addition to making council meetings disorderly and disrupting the routine business of the council, the resolution for the ceasefire would be illegal under Irvine Municipal Code Section 1-2-317, which reads, “The City Council will not consider or act upon matters of a nonmunicipal nature, such as political endorsements, measures submitted to voters, and bond issues or tax overrides of other agencies. While individual members of the Council may take public positions concerning nonmunicipal affairs, they shall not do so during or as part of any City meeting or official function.”
According to the letter, the actions of city officials introducing divisive geopolitical matters into the City Council’s agenda has resulted in a “disruptive and hate-filled environment” characterized by “taunting, heckling, and fear mongering.” In addition, the letter says, “Instead of addressing the important priorities of the people of Irvine, you continue diverting vital city resources to entertain busloads of people who take up critical council time to spew hateful messages and sow more chaos and divisiveness.”
Similar measures undertaken by other cities, including Santa Ana, have not been successful. Even if a ceasefire resolution passed, it would have no bearing on the actions of Israel, which is fighting for survival, or Hamas, which is trying to destroy Israel. There actually was brief ceasefire in the current conflict, which was broken by Hamas. Perhaps some people fail to realize that ceasefires apply to both parties in a war.
Why would a city, especially one with a sizeable Jewish population, get involved in such matters, especially when the proposals seem to be so divisive? Why would Irvine’s elected officials expend time and resources to make a point that is antithetical to the city code? Potholes, proclamations, and permits may not be exciting, but they are the real purview of city councils.
We fervently hope that the war between Israel and Hamas has a resolution that benefits Israel with as little loss of life as possible. We also hope that people understand the key takeaway: elections matter.
Ilene Schneider has been chronicling Jewish life in Orange County for five publications since 1978. She has served as a communications consultant for a number of Jewish organizations. She is a contributing writer to Jlife Magazine.