I regret the vote I made. I do not support Imam Taha Hassane being on the County’s Human Relations Commission. 

I first learned of the allegations about the candidate for appointment to the Human Relations Commission during the Board of Supervisors meeting. The information being shared during the public testimony was troubling, but I do not make snap decisions based on unverified information, as anyone who has attended our meetings knows there is a history of people sharing inaccurate information. This means if the information provided during public testimony is unsubstantiated, it requires more due diligence before accepting it as fact.

I was very concerned however, so after the meeting I searched for and found a full video of the remarks that were referred to during the public testimony, and found the Imam’s remarks to be truly awful, and I immediately regretted the vote I made.  I do not support Imam Taha Hassane being on the County’s Human Relations Commission. 

It’s important to remember, the County’s Human Relations Commission was re-established as a direct response to the heinous Chabad of Poway synagogue shooting, to combat hate of all kinds in our community and especially antisemitism. Unfortunately, the Commission hasn’t functioned as envisioned. I strongly support addressing multiple issues and flaws that have emerged with the HRC, so my team is now working with our County’s Office of Equity and Racial Justice to ensure more rigorous and expansive background checks of appointees are conducted to ensure they represent the values of equity and inclusion, and are against all forms of hate toward all people.

- Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer