If Dublin city leaders won’t recognize the LGBTQ community’s steady effort for inclusiveness by raising the rainbow-striped LGBT Pride flag at their city hall, then Emeryville Councilmember John Bauters says his city will fly one for Emeryville on June 8, and another for Dublin.
The Dublin City Council, last week voted down a proposal by Councilmember Shawn Kumagai to fly the LGBT Pride flag at city hall, amid a number of anti-LGBTQ comments and assertions by the public. Kumagai initially sought to raise the flag for the entire month of June in celebration of Pride month, but an amended proposal by Kumagai to fly the flag for one day on June 1, was defeated by the council majority.
Bauters said the Dublin City Council’s 3-2 vote last week sends a chilling message to the LGBTQ community, which led him to include the Tri-Valley city in Emeryville’s annual Pride month celebration next month. “When others try to silence a member of the LGBTQ community,” said Bauters, “I stand ready to lift that voice.”
It is not common for a city to register such a clear rebuke of a neighboring city, but Emeryville’s action appears to be just the beginning of a backlash among progressives in Alameda County toward the Dublin City Council’s decision.
Many Alameda County Democrats were not surprised by opposition to the flag raising by conservative-leaning Dublin Mayor David Haubert and Councilmember Arun Goel. But party leaders expressed shock at the deciding vote cast by Councilmember Melissa Hernandez, whose campaign for the city council was backed by the Alameda County Democratic Party and other left-leaning groups.
The Tri-Valley Democratic Club, which often zig-zags along the political spectrum, reserved a fair amount of vitriol toward the Dublin City Council’s decision, saying it was “hate in full display” and urging residents to “let them know they let us down and are out of step with our values.”
“I’m deeply disgusted to share that two of those who voted down flying the flag are self-proclaimed ‘Democrats,'” Dean Wallace, a past president of the Tri-Valley Democratic Club wrote in an email to its members last Friday. Hernandez and Goel are registered Democrats.
“Vice Mayor Melissa Hernandez, who this Committee endorsed in 2016, was one of the two who voted it down, and she did not say one word calling out the hatred before the Council. Not one word,” he added.
The furor over the LGBTQ flag vote is expected to return to Dublin City Hall next week. The Tri-Valley Democratic Club and others are urging LGBTQ supporters to attend the council’s next meeting on June 4.
ebcitizen.com 
Anonymous, we shall see whether your non-inclusive, divisive, and hateful intolerance will be supported by the electorate. My guess is that it will not be supported and those who are not inclusive of all will soon be out of a job.
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We agree with the comment that restricts such displays to one’s private property. If the council doesn’t follow the will of the majority to leave this issue alone and does capitulate to an activist minority agenda, then they indeed should be voted out of office. The only local flag that should be flown is one with the city seal on it. Other than that, just stars and stripes and CA bear flag. The rabble rousers who are promulgating this issue are seeking to divide and stir controversy. Three flags only–the ones I’ve mentioned already.
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Anonymous, there are three flag poles in front of Dublin’s City Hall. The Rainbow Flag will take the spot either below the City of Dublin Flag or flyin in its place. I do not need to go to the Castro to see it flying high. I am a lifetime Californian and proud of the diversity of my state. Even haters like you are welcome. I do not drive German cars. Yes you are shut down. I am happy to stay right here and enjoy Democracy at work.
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Local means City of Dublin emblem. Mordha, you want your special interest flag, feel free to take a BART ride to the Castro. They’ve got it flying high, and you’ll feel right at home there. You should definitely consider Oregon, Vermont, Washington State or New York. Definitely do let the door hit you in the ass as you pack your Volkswagon bug as you head out of state. Case is absolutely closed
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Anonymous, the case is still open pending another vote. Wanna guess the outcome? I am thinking that Dublin will fly the Rainbow Banner. You may want to consider Texas or Mississippi, Georgia or Alabama. Do not let the door smack you in the butt on the way out. Case Closed.
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Local flag means City of Dublin emblem. That’s it. Case closed.
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Anonymous, you are right Dublin should listen to the majority. I suspect that unless the Rainbow Flag flies soon, the majority will vote out of office those who have decline to fly the Pride Flag.
Since 1992, Dublin has been a Democratic stronghold in presidential elections. The last Republican to carry Dublin was George H. W. Bush in 1988.
Dublin has 61,000 folks living there, Anon. It is the second fastest growing city in California. Dublin has 28,798 registered voters with 12,071 (41.9%) registered as Democrats, 5,044 (17.5%) registered as Republicans, and 10,505 (36.5%) decline to state voters.
There were 14,913 households, out of which 5,897 (39.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 8,615 (57.8%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 1,383 (9.3%) had a female householder with no husband present, 615 (4.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 775 (5.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 142 (1.0%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 3,201 households (21.5%) were made up of individuals and 578 (3.9%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70. There were 10,613 families (71.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.19.
Dublin has 9,325 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.13.
Your advice is good, listen to the majority.
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Dublin elected officials should listen to Dublin residents, not Democrat party or any other outside groups! Leave our town alone!
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Steven Tavares, thanks a lot for the post.Really thank you! Much obliged.
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Anonymous, since when is the Rainbow Flag more a Special Interest and not a local flag. Federal Law specifies the manner in which flags are to be displayed and in your example the Dublin flag or Alameda County Flag can be taken down and the Rainbow Flag flown in their place, or the Rainbow Flag would be flown below the Dublin Flag. The Rainbow Flag is our local flag.
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Don’t need special interests telling us how the hell to run our town. American flag, CA flag, and a local flag. That’s it. You want hate, go look in the mirror!
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Melissa Hernandez and Arun Goel need to be remembered by all Democracts in the next election. They need to be replaced with Democrats that understand that their actions were wrong wrong wrong. There is no place for this kind of hate. David Haubert needs to go away as well. The voters of Dublin need to stand up as soon as possible and vote these haters out of office.
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