From: Ann Bowman
To: Jenny Rogers; Micah Akerson
Subject: Fw: Resignation from Recreation and Parks Commission Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 3:29:11 AM
Dear Jenny and Micah -
Aaah - sudden end of the RPC road for me. I will miss working with you two so very much. You are tremendous City Staffers and of course truly, truly excellent human beings as well. The work of RAD never fails to amaze and inspire me and to bring a smile to my face. I will miss your happy photo reports each month Micah. I will miss your smile and self-deprecation, Jenny, even though you are a not-so-secret positive force to be reckoned with. I hope Council appoints someone terrific in my place. I've been kind of discouraged as a commissioner for a long time now and when that's the case it's better for the commission to have fresh new energy. Please take good care, I'll be keeping an eye on you all and RAD from afar and sending good vibes and blessings for everything you do.
With love always and more appreciation than you'll ever know - Ann From: Ann Bowman
Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2025 3:20 AM
To: Lana Negrete <[email protected]>; Caroline Torosis <[email protected]>; Dan Hall <[email protected]>; Ellis Raskin <[email protected]>; Barry Snell <[email protected]>; Natalya Zernitskaya <[email protected]>; Jesse Zwick <[email protected]> Cc: Oliver Chi <[email protected]>; Susan Cline <[email protected]>; Susan Cola <[email protected]>; Heidi von Tongeln <[email protected]>; Nia Tang <[email protected]>; Jennifer Taylor <[email protected]>; Jing Yeo <[email protected]>; Jenny Rogers <[email protected]>; Steven Johnson <[email protected]>; Maryanne LaGuardia
<[email protected]>; Karen Melick <[email protected]>; Sonam Makker <[email protected]>; John Smith <[email protected]>; Barry Rosenbaum <[email protected]>
Subject: Resignation from Recreation and Parks Commission Dear Mayor Negrete and Councilmembers -
Please accept my resignation from the City's Recreation and Parks Commission, effective immediately.
Early this morning, on Councilmember Hall's alternate motion, 4 of you (Hall, Torosis, Zernitskaya, and Zwick) voted to end the ENA with RPG for the Civic Auditorium and gave Staff permission to explore options for the totality of the Civic Center site both encumbered and unencumbered, meaning that at some point in the future Council may direct scraping the entire site.
No mention was made of the Civic Center Specific Plan, the governing planning document for the area. No respect was shown to RPG or the principal of RPG who was present in Council chambers. Certainly no respect was shown to the public. The rudeness and display of arrogance and callousness by Hall, Zwick, Torosis, Zernitskaya, and City Manager Oliver Chi was embarrassing and a discredit to our City.
I value people, healthy relationships, community input, and I care in particular about adhering faithfully to city planning documents that are the result of extensive community engagement and on which the community should have the right to rely unless there is a full and transparent public process to collect input and secure a mandate for change. I care about protection of public land, about having a civic heart, about fostering genuine civic cohesiveness within a diverse community rather than pitting people against each other, and about nurturing civic pride & common identity.
So I do not want to give my volunteer time going forward to an organization where a majority in leadership so clearly do not share any of those core values.
I also do not want to give my volunteer time going forward to an organization that refuses to recognize or address the massive conflict of interest Councilmember Zwick now has with respect to all matters concerning housing development. Shame on the entire City Attorney's office and on Interim City Attorney Heidi von Tongeln in particular for stonewalling.
It's mostly been a pleasure to serve on the Recreation and Parks Commission. I sincerely will miss working with my dedicated, committed fellow commissioners and with many of the hardworking City Staff members who I appreciate and respect so much.
RAD Director Jenny Rogers and her incredible team in particular deserve tremendous credit for the work they do for our City day in and day out, with such talent, creativity, and devotion.
Sincerely,
Ann Bowman