San Leandro City Council member Benny Lee argued that San Leandro should raise the flag of the People’s Republic of China at City Hall because other cities like “Alameda do it”.
It turns out that that is not true.
Tibetan activists all over the world have been writing to Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore asking that they don’t fly the PRC flag on October 1st. One activist got the following response from Assistant City Manager Alexander Nguyen:
Please be informed that the City of Alameda, California, has not, does not, and will not raise a foreign national flag on City Hall’s flagstaff.
The flag-raising ceremony scheduled next week is sponsored by our local Sister City Association and the Alameda Wuxi Friendship Committee, who use their own portable flagpoles.
This event is not a formal City Hall event; the Mayor and City Council do not sponsor it; they do not vote on it; they do not fund it.
Sincerely,
Alexander Nguyen
Assistant City Manager
So it would appear that Mr. Lee was, to put it politely, less than truthful.
While it’s technically true that the City of Alameda is not officially hoisting the flag, the Tibetan activists have justifiably pointed out a number of connections between the City of Alameda, and city officials, and the effort.
o In 2005, Stewart Chen, now on Alameda City Council, then on the Social Services Human Relations Board, intiated the entire Alameda-China sister city initiative.
o In 2007, the City of Alameda issued a proclamation recognizing PRC National Day, and encouraging Alameda residents to attend a Oakland flag-raising ceremony.
o Just this week, the Alameda Social Service Human Relations Board appointed member Mike Robles-Wong as representative to the sister city association.
o And despite the City of Alameda not officially running the event, apparently it will take place at Alameda city hall.
o Former Alameda City Councilmember Frank Matarrese is the current sister city association president.
http://www.action-alameda-news.com/2013/09/27/tibetan-rights-group-takes-city-to-task-on-twitter-by-email/
Please note: I think there’s a typo in your story. The sentence “Tibetan activists all over the world have been writing to Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore asking that they don’t fly the Tibetan flag on October 1st” should be revised “Tibetan activists all over the world have been writing to Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore asking that they don’t fly the [Chinese] flag on October 1st.”