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For the third time, the Hollister City Council censured Councilmember Rolan Resendiz for violating its code of conduct. On Aug. 6, in a 4-0 vote, the council ordered Resendiz to undergo training to prevent harassment, gender-based violence and bullying, to be completed by Oct. 5. The training is expected to take eight hours, Councilmember Dolores Morales said.
Resendiz said he would not participate in the training, and maintained that the four council members are lying about the allegations. He abstained from the vote.
The action comes a month after the San Benito County Civil Grand Jury’s report highlighted dysfunction in local government. The Grand Jury’s foreperson told BenitoLink this judgment was aimed primarily at the Hollister City Council. Although Rezendiz was not named in the report—the Grand Jury is not permitted to name individuals—the dysfunctional behavior it described correlates with Rezendiz’s actions in not adhering to meeting rules. Additionally, in 2023, councilmember Rick Perez was verbally warned for violating the city’s ethics and code of conduct policy. He took responsibility for his behavior and apologized to the public and council.
City Attorney Mary Lerner said if Resendiz does not complete the training, the City Council could rely on the city’s code of conduct, which means Rezendiz could be further reprimanded or censured. He could also lose seniority or committee assignments, lose his position as vice mayor, lose funds for travel and/or discretionary funds, and be fined up to $500.
Censure, in the context of government as defined by the U.S. Senate, is “a formal statement of disapproval in the form of a resolution that is adopted by majority vote.”
Resendiz, who was first elected in 2018, has also received a written reprimand and was stripped of his committee duties for violating the council’s code of conduct.
At a June 18 meeting, Lerner presented to the council and public the results of an independent investigation, which were the basis for the censure. The investigation findings upheld two of four allegations made against Resendiz by Councilmember Dolores Morales, who alleged Resendiz harassed her.
In her complaint, Morales said Resendiz threatened her during a lunch meeting, and in a separate incident he followed her to her car after a meeting, intending to confront her. Neither of these allegations were upheld by the investigators.
Morales also alleged that Resendiz twice invaded her personal space, towering over her, blocking her movement and yelling at her in a “confrontational manner,” Lerner said. Both of these allegations were confirmed by witness statements.
BenitoLink requested the documentation including video surveillance, witness statements and police report from the city on Aug. 7. The city has 10 days to respond to the request.
During the Aug. 6 meeting, Resendiz focused on the incident in which Morales said he followed her to the car—which was not given as justification for the censure.
Resendiz told BenitoLink the public should question the validity of the other allegations if one was proven false.
“I’m going to protect my name and won’t let them slander me,” he told BenitoLink.
Morales told BenitoLink the discussion should be about the totality of past behavior of bullying and harassment and not just one incident.
“Sometimes we perceive something to occur and may not have been what was done,” she said, “but when someone doesn’t feel safe, that is the underlying issue that needs to be addressed.”
Asked why the City Council opted not to release documentation of the investigation, Morales said they followed the advice from the city attorney.
“We do not want to put the city in liability for him to orchestrate or manipulate a process,” she said.
During council member discussion at the meeting, Hollister Mayor Mia Casey pointed out Resendiz was focusing on one allegation, but the investigators sustained two allegations.
Carol Lenoir, a former city planning commissioner and council member who has criticized Resendiz’s behavior, spoke in favor of the censure. She was the only public speaker.
“I’m very frustrated that this has been going on for six years with Rolan,” she said. “It needs to stop.”
While no member of the public spoke in defense of Resendiz, he has received support from residents when the City Council has discussed his behavior in the past.
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