Temecula City Council To No Longer Proclaim Pride, Heritage Months

TEMECULA, CA — The Temecula City Council will no longer issue certain "inclusionary" proclamations that some Council members feel exclude some residents and do not represent the city as a whole.

These proclamations include African American History Month, Women's History Month, Arab American Heritage Month, Asian American and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Month, Pride Month, Hispanic Latino Heritage Month, Greek Food Festival Month, Native American Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month, according to a list confirmed by City Clerk Randi Johl during Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Following a 3-2 vote — Council member Jessica Alexander, Mayor Pro Tem James Stewart and Council member Brenden Kalfus voted yes, and Mayor Zak Schwank and Council member Curtis Brown voted no — declarations for these inclusionary groups will now be decided on by the city's Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Commission.

"This is pretty easy for me because it's about awareness and it's about education, each one of these proclamations," Brown said before casting his vote against the Council action. "And it's about the struggles that each one of these individuals or groups has had to get where they are. It's education and awareness; it's not about support ... I think bumping it down to the REDI commission that represents the city, what's the difference?"

Stewart was of a different opinion when explaining his reason for supporting the action.

"I just want to say that the City of Temecula represents everyone," Stewart said. "And these inclusionary proclamations, all of them, exclude people. And so when we bring one group up above the entire city we basically exclude everyone else. So I have a problem with that."

Stewart said he did not have a problem with any of the proclamations, he just believes such decisions should be made at the REDI Commission level.

"I think that level is more appropriate for all these inclusionary proclamations than this level," Stewart said. "Because at this level of government, we represent the entire city and everybody who lives here. And when we take a particular group and elevate them above the rest of us, I think that is a bad example for a government. Government shouldn't be doing that. Government should not promote groups above other groups."

Read more about the recent Temecula City Council decision at The Press-Enterprise or watch the Temecula City Council video below.

SEE ALSO: Temecula Grapples With 'R' Words: Race, Racism