Title
Consider Directing Staff to Take Steps Necessary to Declare the City of Alameda a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ) Sanctuary City. (Councilmember Daysog)
Body
COUNCIL REFERRAL FORM
The Council can take any of the following actions:
1) Take no action.
2) Refer the matter to staff to schedule as a future City Council agenda item. Concurrence that staff time will be devoted to the item does not signify approval.
3) Take dispositive action only on time sensitive legislative matters if sufficiently noticed such that the public and Council have been provided sufficient information by the published agenda, and no formal published notice of a public hearing is required.
Name of Councilmember(s) requesting referral: Tony Daysog
Date of submission to City Clerk (must be submitted before 5:00 p.m. on the Monday two weeks before the Council meeting requested): April 2, 2025
Council Meeting date: May 6, 2025
Brief description of the subject to be printed on the agenda, sufficient to inform the City Council and public of the nature of the referral: Declare the City of Alameda A “LGBTQ Sanctuary City”
The City Council approved a Strategic Plan on November 21, 2023, which established the following 5 priorities:
A. Enhance Community Safety & Services
B. Build Resilience to Climate Change & Water Level Rise
C. Invest in Transportation, Infrastructure, Economic Opportunities & Historic Resources
D. House All Alamedans & End Homelessness
E. Practice Fiscal Responsible, Equitable & Inclusive Governance
If applicable, briefly describe which Council priority the subject falls under and how it relates:
The proposal to declare City of Alameda a LGBTQ Sanctuary City Falls Under Priority A (“Enhance Community Safety and Services”)
From: lindsey collins <collindsey@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 19, 2025 2:34:39 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <MEzzyAshcraft@alamedaca.gov>; Michele Pryor <mpryor@alamedaca.gov>; Greg Boller <gboller@alamedaca.gov>; Tony Daysog <TDaysog@alamedaca.gov>; Tracy Jensen <tjensen@alamedaca.gov>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] LGBTQ sanctuary cities
Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Pryor, and Council Members Boller, Daysog, and Jensen-
My name is Lindsey Collins, and I am an Alameda resident. I moved here in 2023 from San Francisco, where I am a high school teacher, to be closer to my Alameda family. Two weeks ago, I married my wife at Alameda City Hall. I love it here, and am proud of our community and the values we uphold.
I am also transgender, and while the vast majority of my time in Alameda and San Francisco since 2013 has been positive, I have also experienced harassment, at work and on the street, as most if not all trans people have. I write to you today to ask that you declare Alameda a sanctuary city for LGBTQ people, following the recent decisions of Boston and Worcester, MA. For LGBTQ people, this is not just a symbolic act of support- it is an important stand that we can count on as we make plans for our safety in a country that has turned against us.
Since Trump declared trans people illegitimate and nonexistent, my wife and I have been making back-up plans in case we need to leave the country. Every trans person I know is doing this, even in California. My wife and I are facing the prospect of leaving our entire families and communities so that I can work, travel, and live without fear of being detained or having my passport taken, and of having my civil rights stripped. We are now in a place where it is not safe to assume that Gavin Newsom or any other Democrat will actively protect and support us. Everything feels fragile and tenuous, and it is a heavy weight to evaluate, day by day, whether or not it is reasonable to stay or go.
Earlier this year, I contacted Chief of Police Nishant Joshi because I was harassed and called homophobic slurs by two young men while I was downtown. Apparently, these men also attacked and harassed a person of color that day, as well. Chief Joshi and his staff's immediate, compassionate response was incredible, and I felt so grateful to live in a community where these kinds of crimes are taken seriously. I am writing today because Chief Joshi's response gave me such faith in our city government's concern for the wellbeing of our LGBTQ citizens. Chief Joshi expressed his strong belief that every citizen deserves to walk down the street free of fear, and that his department would proceed from that belief.
It would be a tangible, measurable relief to have Alameda declare itself a sanctuary city, and a message not just to your LGBTQ residents, but also people who aren't sure what trans people's place should be, as hateful rhetoric and discrimination continues to be mobilized against us. I encourage you to continue to be a leader in prioritizing your residents' safety and wellbeing, and in taking a stand against the egregious aggression towards trans people in government and civil life.
Thank you for your attention, and your work as public servants.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Collins