San Bruno councilmember favors cease-fire resolution

“My goal here is to achieve an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, and the resolution that I will attempt to introduce is focused exactly on that and solely on that,” Hamilton said. “The way that this conflict is being executed is indiscriminate. And it’s not targeting the folks that are being intended to target, it is targeting the entire area of Gaza, and the suffering is immense and unacceptable.”

Hamilton spoke with U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, to advocate for a congressional resolution calling for a humanitarian cease-fire when he went to his office with local Palestinian residents and local leaders.

Hamilton said he would have introduced a resolution earlier, at the meeting Dec. 12, when around 45 community members showed up for a cease-fire resolution, but was concerned it wouldn’t receive a second to support the motion and move forward, which would “send a terrible message” on a deeply important topic.

Councilmember Marty Medina said he would be meeting with Palestinian community members and is interested in taking next steps toward agendizing a resolution.

“When something of this magnitude happens to a portion of the community, of course you’re going to listen, but what are we going to do about it? That’s why I’m compelled to ask for the minimum of, ‘we need the fighting to stop, so the people who are innocent can get out of the way,’” he said.

The conversations come as at least 18,700 Palestinians have been killed by Israel’s air and ground assault response to Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and originally took around 240 hostage, according to The Associated Press.

The international community has also shown growing alarm about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In the Bay Area, cease-fire resolutions were passed in Oakland and Richmond, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently proposed one. At the Dec. 18 Foster City Council meeting, a request by Councilmember Sam Hindi will be heard about placing an item on a future agenda calling for a cease-fire, the release of all hostages and for humanitarian aid.

But Councilmember Sandy Alvarez said that she believed, on the whole, it isn’t wise for local governments to get involved in international affairs and she would need to hear a broader variety of perspectives before making a decision on a resolution.

“This is an upper level government decision and we are on the bottom of the local … it wouldn’t be the local government’s place to make that initial move,” she said.

Hamilton recognized such a resolution was symbolic, but was also a way to show San Bruno’s Palestinian residents the community stands behind them.

“The symbol that it shows is that we support our community, especially when they’re suffering,” he said. “The people who came out and spoke [at public comment], nearly all of them, have relatives in Gaza and are receiving these reports and are incredibly worried for their loved ones who have nothing to do with this conflict, who are just trying to live in peace.”

Mayor Rico Medina and Councilmember Michael Salazar did not respond to multiple requests for comment.