By Lookout Staff
October 23, 2024 -- On Tuesday night, the City Council directed staff to take steps to reinforce the City's commitment to fighting hate and anti-Semitism.
Much of the discussion focused on two letters from School Board members Jon Kean and Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein alleging that Councilmember Oscar de la Torre made an anti-Semitic statement when he was on the School Board to a School District consultant during a private meeting five years ago.
Following is an edited transcript of comments addressing the hotly debated allegation that was made public one month before voters elect four City Council members on November 5.
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COUNCILMEMBER JESSE ZWICK: I think I would be remiss tonight, because of everything that's been said, including during this discussion and as the only Jewish member of this council, to just say that I've read all the letters as everyone else has, that's how I've learned of these allegations.
I'm not going to cast stones or guess what's in anyone's heart, but I do feel like it's strange to have a discussion about taking action on anti-Semitism without discussing the allegation and simply saying this isn't someone who came up to the dais with a few screws loose who said something that would be found offensive.
These are other elected leaders in our society that are making allegations that Councilmember de la Torre said something that was anti-Semitic. I don't know the truth, but I do know that there are credible allegations about anti-Semitism.
I don't believe in canceling anyone, but I do believe in taking responsibility if something happened. And I guess I'm just trying to make clear here, I feel it's my obligation as the Jewish member of this body to say, Councilmember de la Torre, are you saying that you did not say those words? Are you denying what these three members of our community have come forward to confirm, that these were never words that you spoke?
COUNCILMEMBER OSCAR DE LA TORRE: I never said that. I deny ever making those comments. That comment that was made allegedly came from a conversation that I had with a consultant that has a relationship with John Kean.
I did talk to that consultant about how in our school district, the majority of the elected officials on the School Board reside north of Wilshire, and I did say that the wealthier part of our city is well represented . . .
And so the lack of political representation of south side families on the School Board is detrimental to those children attending schools in the south side. I was very clear about that. I've always talked about class and race. I've never brought up religion or cultural identity in any of these discussions . . .
But I can just tell you that the people that you say are credible are not credible to me. They have opposed me many times on the school board . . . I took multiple votes against the majority of the people on that School Board, and I opposed them in the last election.
So these are not unbiased people. These are people that have it out for me, that have written op ed pieces in the past against me. And I feel that these are dirty politics, and these are political attacks. The allegation of the comment I made occurred, allegedly, like, five years ago, so it wasn't brought up back then . . .
And let me ask you a question. Do you believe that I'm anti-Semitic? As you said, you're the only Jewish city council member. Have I ever treated you in a way that you feel that your religion or your culture is the reason why I'm treating you badly?
ZWICK: No, it's never come up to me. I'm just asking about this event because it's been very public in the community, and I felt an obligation to do so. I guess you're saying that you spoke about class dynamics and somehow the consultant took that to mean Jews.
DE LA TORRE: That's all I can think. Because Jon Kean is Jewish. She's Jewish. I knew that when I talked to her. So I don't understand if that's what happened, but that's my assumption. Exactly as you've explained it right now, that's my assumption of what happened in that conversation, but I can tell you right now it was not an anti-Semitic moment.
When we had those discussions, it was about race and class, the dynamics that impact the achievement gap in our School District . . . I've never brought up religion in any of those conversations, and so my only assumption is that it was misinterpreted by a woman that doesn't know me, that met me for 45 minutes in that conversation.
I ended the conversation when I found out that she had a personal relationship with one of the School Board members. Happens to be Jon Kean, the School Board member that is attacking me politically, but in any case, that's it.
But I'm really happy to hear that in your interaction with me, because that matters to me, the interactions you and I have had that you're not saying I'm anti-Semitic, right?
ZWICK: I've not experienced it myself, but your interactions with me do not symbolize the totality of who you are, what you do. So that's why I'm asking these questions.
DE LA TORRE: Well, the totality of who I am and what I represent is a lot of people in this community know about it for 30 plus years. So I just want to say that I have a record to stand on . . .
And to be accused, after 30 years of fighting racism, hate and anti-Semitism, to be accused of being anti-Semitic, just like if I called you racist, and that's not fair, because I don't have any evidence, you've never treated me in any way to feel that you're racist.
We disagree on a whole lot of things. We probably dislike each other based on some political or policy issues, but it's nothing that personal. I wouldn't say that you're racist because you're opposing me at least 60 percent of the time on policy matters.
We disagree on things, but I wouldn't go that far, and I would never do that politically to you, cause you're a man, you're a father, just like me, and beyond politics these things impact us. They hurt us. It's hurtful as a human being to hear that, to hear my children come home and say, "Hey, my friend had some questions about that" and that I'm being labeled that way. It's hurtful and and it's not right.
You know, politics isn't the end all, like we have lives. We're human beings, we're people in this community that are more than just elected officials, but this is a political attack against me right now, and for everybody, people need to at least look at it from that lens and be honest about it . . .
People are trying to convert it into an anti-Semitic moment, and it's not. And so all I can say is that my record stands against these false allegations, and even the item that I brought forward today, you know, it was sincere. It wasn't a political maneuver on my part . . .
COUNCILMEMBER GLEAM DAVIS: I wasn't going to buzz in, but I sort of feel compelled to now, and I want to say a couple of things. And the first thing I'm going to say Councilmember de la Torre is you have called me racist on numerous occasions, on this dais. And so, what's sauce for the goose, they say, is sauce for the gander.
And I think saying, "Well, you know, I'm really hurt that somebody has called me anti-Semitic" when you apparently give better than you get. And I think that if this is going to be a healing moment, everybody needs to heal, including you.
I also want to say that I believe Jon Kean. I believe Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, and I believe Laurie Lieberman, not just because of the letters that they've written, but because, actually, soon after the alleged event, I heard about it.
It wasn't my story to share. I didn't participate in it, because, obviously I'm not on the School Board, but they were sufficiently shaken, I guess is the right word, by it, that at least Jon Kean and Laurie Lieberman directly mentioned it to me soon after it allegedly happened. Well, I shouldn't say allegedly, because I believe them.
Now maybe you're right. It was a misinterpretation. I wasn't there, so I can't say, but I do feel compelled to say that I have heard you make other comments that at least could be interpreted as anti-Semitic.
One was made directly to me. You and I used to meet frequently when we were on better terms. You know, maybe frequently is not the right word. I don't know.
DE LA TORRE: I don't know your religion. I've never asked your religion. I don't know.
DAVIS: I'm not Jewish. It wasn't about me. It was an anti-Semitic comment that was made, at least I interpreted that way, and I remember it quite vividly. We'd had breakfast at Lares restaurant. You were, at the time, executive director of the PYFC (Pico Youth and Family Center) . . . and it was probably at least seven or eight years ago, maybe even longer, but the comments stuck with me, and I never said anything about it to you or anyone else, because it was stunning to me, but I also thought maybe it was just an awkward statement.
You were commenting that some of the youth attending the PYFC were having difficulty getting employment because they had run ins with the law. And I recommended to you that you contact Jewish Vocational Services, because they do excellent work in terms of record expungement and also working with second chance employers who are willing to work with youth who've had run ins with the law.
And you looked at me and you said, What did Jews know about getting jobs for Mexicans?
DE LA TORRE: I don't recall ever making that comment, and let me just say for the record, Jewish Vocational Services, the Pico Youth and Family Center had a contract with them for many years, so I worked with them. So you can't say that I made that comment and then it impacted a decision that I made. We worked with Jewish Vocational Services . . .
DAVIS: All I'm going to say is I have a vivid memory of that because I found it to be a stunning comment, and I'm not surprised that you say you don't remember it, but I do remember it quite vividly, and I wasn't going to say anything, except we got into this discussion, and you said you've never made an anti-Semitic comment. And I will tell you I interpreted that comment as being anti-Semitic . . .
And you know, I think this is a moment for all of us to reflect on things that we've said or done. But I think it's fine for you to attack other people and call them liars. You have that first amendment right to do so, but I think you need to confront the fact that you've also called other people racist without any evidence that they're racist, and you've said some pretty hurtful things to me in social media, and that's okay, that's your right.
But I think that we all are public figures, and it comes with the territory, and I just think it's important to defend people that I believe are speaking the truth. . .
DE LA TORRE: I want to clarify something. I don't think I've ever called you racist, like straight up like that. But I'm going to say this, when you voted to defund the Pico Youth and Family Center, and at the same time, voted to fund another organization that had hurt children . . . a lot of youth of color came to speak before you, and you defunded the the Pico Youth and Family Center. You took all that funding away. I saw that as a racist decision . . .
The fights that I've had with this city have all been around inequalities where the north side, people with power and affluence have more influence in our government and people in the Pico Neighborhood, we have had environmental dumping, we have had gang violence, we have had trauma, generational trauma. We have had child molestation. We have had a whole lot of things that happened because of the lack of political representation, and so those are the things that I will continue to fight for.
I do not apologize for taking that position, and I'm sorry that you're offended by that, but I'm not going to call anybody racist just for using the race card. . . What I am advocating for is for people of color, for low income people in the city to have agency, to have representation, to be treated with fairness and respect . . .
It's just different coming from your perspective and coming from my perspective. I live in the Pico Neighborhood. I grew up there. I touch the hands of the people that get murdered. I touch the hands of the people that go to jail, that are treated unfairly. I touch the hands of the people that get evicted . . . And those are the things that I see. I experienced that. That's my experience.
And all I can say is I want to apologize to you if I offended you personally, if you feel hurt by anything that I've ever done to offend you that way, because that's not my intention to personalize it, even though I've seen that you've made some decisions that support systemic racism, that have supported institutionalized racism, that have hurt people in my community and that right there is very hurtful . . .
But I hope that we survive this election cycle, and we overcome it in a way that makes us a better city, that unites us, that brings us together, and that we learn from these moments. And I'll take responsibility for whatever I can do to make it better. But it's very difficult when people are punching me, to basically tell me stop punching back.
It's very difficult to do that, and I know you for a fact, if somebody was punching you, I guarantee you're going to punch back. I know Jesse Zwick. You're not going to take it lying down in politics, you're going to fight back as well.
So maybe there's a different way to do this. I'm open to it, to find a way forward. And so, let's figure that out. Regardless of the election, I'm open to working with you, to doing anything that helps us do better in terms of fighting hate, racism, anti-Semitism.
To view the video of Tuesday night's meeting CLICK HERE