On Friday, September 25, a coalition of seven local community organizations, including OCCCO, OCCORD, CHISPA, LULAC, OCAPICA, the Arab American Civic Council, and Los Amigos, sent an email to Mayor Aitken requesting a meeting. Dr. Jose Moreno, representing Los Amigos, acted as the spokesman for the group. The email, titled “Urgent Request for Meeting with Community,” sought a conversation with the Mayor before an upcoming Council meeting on September 29, regarding allegations against her.
The organizations expressed a desire to “be in conversation” about the allegations, hoping to meet before any conclusions were reached. They stated concerns that the Mayor may have “transgressed” the “ethos and values” of their communities and “othered” them, seeking to “dialogue, to listen, and to learn.” The initial email requested a “reply all” response, indicating the groups' collective approach.
Mayor Aitken, however, spent several hours calling individual group leaders whose phone numbers she possessed. Later that day, at 5 p.m., she responded via email. While she welcomed a meeting with the organizations collectively and denied making any racial or inappropriate statements, she stated, “I will not, however, engage with Dr. Moreno as I feel it puts me in an unsafe environment.” The Mayor indicated she would appreciate a meeting if the groups were willing to proceed under these parameters.
In her email, Mayor Aitken affirmed that she takes allegations against her “extremely serious” and believes they “deserve to be fully investigated.” She announced she had called for an independent investigation and would fully participate to “clear my name and reputation.” Mayor Aitken also stated that Ms. Ballinas remains her Chief of Staff and a city employee, noting that this is an ongoing personnel matter with strict limits on what she may discuss. She further expressed belief that serious allegations should be evaluated based on facts and evidence through a fair and independent process, asking the City to retain a “truly independent outside investigator of unquestioned integrity.” She requested that judgment be reserved until all facts are brought forward.
Following a weekend break, Ivon Pena of OCCORD responded on behalf of the nonprofits on Tuesday morning. Pena first took issue with Mayor Aitken's approach of responding individually to a group communication. She then expressed strong disappointment regarding the exclusion of Dr. Moreno, a member who has worked for decades “uplifting our Latino – Mexican-origin communities.” Pena stated that the Mayor's rationale for excluding Dr. Moreno “raises serious racial/ethnic and gendered tropes about Latino men.” The groups supported a thorough, fair, independent, and transparent investigation, but also argued that an investigation does not eliminate the need for dialogue between community leaders and elected leadership during moments of significant public concern.
Mayor Aitken subsequently reiterated her position in another email, stating she was “happy to meet with all these organization collectively in my office.” She added that if they could not accept her invitation with her restrictions, that was their “collective choice,” but not hers. Responding to the concerns raised about “gendered tropes,” Mayor Aitken, as a Woman’s Studies major, stated she deeply contests “the notion of a static 'Latin American gender culture.'”
Dr. Jose Moreno, described by one observer as “the very picture of a gentle academic,” was once named one of OC Weekly’s “SCARIEST PEOPLE” in 2012. According to the Weekly, his perceived 'scary' quality at the time stemmed from delivering a “boring mix of academic jargon and yaktivist gobbledygook” when city residents sought stirring oration during the summer of that year. The nonprofit groups took grave offense at the Mayor’s suggestion that Dr. Moreno’s presence created an “unsafe environment.”
