Council Condemns Glover Days After Recall Vote

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Months after an outside attorney hired by the City of Santa Cruz determined social media comments made by Councilmember Drew Glover violated the city's Respectful Workplace Conduct Policy, the Santa Cruz City Council discussed the findings of the investigation at its Tuesday council meeting and called on Glover to follow its policy, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported.

At issue is a November Facebook post in which Glover called out former Commission of the Prevention of Violence Against Women Chair Kevin Grossman and Vice Chair Leila Kramer for resigning and leaving their former colleagues in a position so that they did not have enough members to vote. Glover called Grossman a hypocrite and "a white man who consistently interrupted people."

The most recent investigation into Glover cost $8,824 and was handled by Tim Davis, an attorney specializing in labor law, of Burke, Williams & Sorenson.

Glover told Davis in an email that his statements weren't intended to insult Grossman and that the attorney misunderstood his post, Davis wrote in his determination letter. Davis said Glover shared more information to support his belief that Grossman was a hyprocrite.

"Regardless of your intentions or beliefs when making the statements, I find that you engaged in conduct on social media, with a willful or conscious disregard of the feelings, rights or safety of Mr. Grossman and Ms. Kramer, in a manner perceived by a reasonable person to be derogatory, insulting, bullying, humiliating, sabotaging or undermining of their work performance, slanderous, malicious rumor-spreading or the like," Davis wrote.

This is the second time Glover has been found of wrongdoing. Glover and Councilmember Chris Krohn were target of an earlier 2019 investigation, and Glover was found to have been "needlessly and unjustifiably antagonistic" after Councilmember Donna Meyers and others used a conference room longer than their alotted time, the Santa Cruz Sentinel previously reported.

In Glover's post about the commissioners, he also mentioned Grossman's involvement in the previous investigation.

Davis determined Glover's statements were retaliatory for the role he played in the councilmember's investigation.

Before hearing public comment and a brief presentation on Davis's report, Mayor Justin Cummings addressed his colleagues and the crowd. He spoke into a microphone covered by plastic, in an apparent effort to prevent the spread of germs as the county ramps up for the possibility of further spread of the new coronavirus.

Cummings acknowledged the agenda item before him was controversial and urged everyone to be respectful of others' opinions.

"This is something that is coming on the heels of what has been not only a divisive year in our community that followed on the heels of a divisive election," he said. "But it's also followed on the heels of a divisive recall election in our community."

Last week a majority of Santa Cruz County voters voted to recall Glover and Krohn.

The council voted 4-3 to send Glover a letter expressing its disapproval of his actions and calling on him to follow the city policy, the Sentinel reported. Glover, Cummings, Krohn and Councilmember Sandy Brown voted in support.

Meyers and Councilmembers Cynthia Mathews and Martine Watkins were in the minority who voted to censure him since there was a previous violation, the paper reported.

Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.