Title
Discussion Regarding Restorative Justice Mediation and Consideration of Facilitated Discussion Mechanisms to Help Resolve Disagreements for the City Council
StaffReport
SUMMARY
This item provides an update to the City Council on the Rules Committee’s review of restorative justice mediation and seeks direction on whether further exploration of facilitated discussion options should proceed.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the City Council:
Receive the report from the City Council Rules Committee regarding its deliberations to date; and
Provide direction on whether the City Council Member Handbook should be revised to incorporate a facilitated discussion mechanism to resolve conflicts between Councilmembers.
BACKGROUND
On January 5, 2026, the City Council considered an item concerning the public release of an independent investigation report prepared in response to a complaint submitted by Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen to the Human Resources Department. As part of the Council’s action, the City Council directed staff to schedule a future agenda item to discuss restorative justice mediation for the City Council.
The discussion occurred on April 6, 2026. Following Council deliberations, the City Council voted to refer the topic to the City Council Rules Committee for further examination, specifically to consider how restorative justice mediation could potentially be incorporated into the City Council Internal Discipline Policy, found in Title A1, Chapter 13 of the Administrative Code.
The Rules Committee reviewed the item on April 22, 2026 and continued it to allow additional time for research, including defining restorative justice mediation and considering the implications of integrating such processes into the Council’s discipline framework. Councilmember Fred Simon submitted proposed amendments to the Internal Discipline Policy, which were provided to the Committee for discussion.
On June 24, 2026, the Rules Committee reviewed the item again. After discus...
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