SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento City Council passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza - Israel war late Tuesday night after a contentious period of public comment and the chambers being cleared of the public.
The council meeting began at 5 p.m. and after multiple recesses and warnings to the audience to stay quiet during public comment, the chambers were ordered to clear at 9 p.m. People who refused to clear the chambers were arrested by Sacramento Police Department officials. The police department said 12 people were arrested.
Just after 11 p.m., the chambers reconvened and the council was able to discuss the public comment and resolution. The resolution was passed minutes before midnight.
The resolution passed with a 6-1 vote. Councilmembers Karina Talamantes, Katie Valenzuela, Caity Maple, Eric Guerra, Rick Jennings and Mayor Darrell Steinberg voted in favor of the resolution.
Councilmember Lisa Kaplan voted against it.
“We all mourn the loss of life and I think we are all in favor or lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan said she supports Israel, and criticized the resolution for not mentioning Hamas but that it isn’t the council’s purview to weigh in on divisive international conflict.
“It is best when we stand together as leaders in Sacramento and focus on issues that we can control and not on conflict in the Middle East for which this resolution will have no impact,” Kaplan said.
Councilmember Mai Vang didn't attend the meeting but said on X that she supports the resolution.
Emotions ran high throughout the night as dozens of residents and advocates spoke before the city council.
"This resolution calling for a cease-fire is important and symbolic as it will apply pressure on federal leaders to act quickly to save lives," said Basim El-Karra, Director of CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California.
People had a problem with how the resolution was written, others supported it and some didn't think it was necessary.
"There are misstatements in the resolution," said Pam Herman, Interim CEO of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. "We don't feel that a resolution from our city council is an appropriate way to go about this."
Steinberg’s office says the resolution follows months of discussions with community members.
His office says this resolution recognizes both the importance of a safe and secure Israel, as well as an independent Palestinian state. It condemns the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, calls for the release of hostages along with humanitarian aid to Gaza, and acknowledges Israel’s response has left 25,000 dead in Gaza and more than 70,000 wounded.
“In the midst of great mourning, anger and fear over the war in the Middle East, I’m calling on our community to once again choose hope over continued division,” Mayor Steinberg said. “The resolution contains language important to all sides. It also includes some provisions that each side would write differently if they wrote it themselves. That is the nature of principled compromise. We may not be able to create peace in the Middle East, but we can model what we want to see throughout the world here in our own city.”
The resolution is supported by prominent members of the Jewish community, leaders of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and members of the inter-faith community.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Protesters calling for cease-fire in Gaza disrupt first day of California legislative session
