From: Cindy Berk
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Michele Pryor; Greg Boller; Tony Daysog; Tracy Jensen; City Clerk; Manager Manager Subject: [EXTERNAL] April 7th Consent Calendar 5-C, Strategic Vision April 7 Consent Calendar 5-C. Please Separate the Sister City Support Proposal
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 4:39:40 PM
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
We are writing regarding the proposed Strategic Plan updates in Consent Calendar Agenda Item 5-C. We respectfully ask that GOV17 (“Work with the Alameda Sister Cities Association”) be removed from the broader package of proposed additions, set for separate public discussion, and not be advanced or approved until the concerns described below have been publicly reviewed.
This item deserves separate consideration because it would strengthen ASCA and effectively advance its primary current project, the proposed Wadi Foquin sister-city initiative, while serious concerns remain unresolved. Those concerns include governance and accountability issues within ASCA and the broader sister-city structure, fairness and possible discriminatory treatment of Jews and Israelis in City-linked processes, and due-diligence concerns involving violent, extremist, or anti-Jewish rhetoric connected to this network.
For these reasons, we respectfully urge the Council to pull GOV17 from the consent-style approval process and defer any decision to include it in the Strategic Vision until these issues have been meaningfully addressed in public.
Sincerely,
Cindy and Darryl Berk
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